# Getting rid of the Grey!



## different strokes (May 1, 2011)

I've been working on these mahogany doors recently. I have them stripped. My first mistake was using stripper when it was too cold outside (didn't work) so I got into sanding the doors and that left me with a few "amber" areas that I believe I over worked with the 120 on the R.O. sander. (some on the edges and some small areas on the flats)

Will a brightener help me blend out the reddish areas and the "grey" bottoms of these doors.

If a brightner is a good idea to use anyway, are there any that are favored for use on hardwoods like mahogany? The bottom half of these doors have been beat bad my the sun, and the varnish was neglected the last 2 years.

Let the Hazing begin. I appreciate the feedback. :thumbsup:

ps. started waiting for the temp to rise, and the stripper is working great now. 2 stripper coats, and a thinner bath with some scotch brite pads is turning them out well. BUT, I still have about 8 doors I did with the sander I need to fix.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

If you have sanded the doors sufficiently, the "gray" should have been sanded out. If not and you can't sand anymore, you might just use a stain toned to match the rest of the door. 

Do you have a picture?












 







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## different strokes (May 1, 2011)

These doors were never stained, only cleared with helmsman spar. They look good other than a few spots I may have sanded a little too hard and the grey bottoms. I will post some pics soon. Thanks!


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## different strokes (May 1, 2011)

Here are two pics of this set of doors after stripping. The one pic has a dark area that runs through the middle of the flat. Not sure what that is,(mold?) Can it be removed? 

I'm hoping the Penofin will also help to even out the look of the wood a little. Overall it's not too bad considering how long they were beat by the sun with the failed spar varnish. 

The other pic you'll see along the edges on the left and right of the flat . I was sanding with an R.O. sander using 120 and it seemed to almost darken the edges a bit. Is there a remedy to blend that back into the door? Hope these pics help explain what I'm getting at.


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## different strokes (May 1, 2011)

Where's the Cabman when I needem?


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

You can use a wood cleaner with oxygen bleach that should remove most of the gray. Don't use chlorine bleach. A product called Wood Bleach is an oxalic acid and leaves the surface kind of punky, I wouldn't use it. After the wood cleaner you can use a brightener to restore the color. These are water solutions and you will need to allow drying time before finishing.

I've been using Defy products but there are many others. This store carries a range of products along with good information. http://www.opwdecks.com/


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

different strokes said:


> Where's the Cabman when I needem?


Some stains need to be bleached out. I would try TSP first, and if that doesn't work try oxalic acid. Or, it may just need more sanding. Try 150x and see if the color evens out.












 







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## Blur (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm going to throw my hat in the ring on this one, and I'll be interested to hear what others think of this opinion. In the areas where your sander turned your wood amber or red, I think what happened is those particular areas stood just a bit proud of the rest of the surface, and you cut through to new wood that had not yet been exposed to the elements. Those spots aren't burns of any sort, they're areas of freshly cut mahogany, exposed by your sander. They look different from everything else on the door because Mahogany changes color to the classic deep reddish brown as it ages. I think the dark strand running down the panel in the first picture is probably the difference between the heartwood and sapwood of the tree this board was cut from, and they aged differently. 

If the above is actually the case, I see a few options: 

Option one, if you're going to use a finish with no UV protectants, and you're willing to live with the variation for a longish time, the new wood will probably get much closer to the rest of the wood as it ages. This would be the "ignore the problem and it will eventually go away" route. 

Option two, if you have the time (or better yet a drum sander of sufficient size, but that would be quite rare) you could take everything down to fresh wood, re-finish with clear coat with UV protectants and move on, the doors would look great. This would be the "swing for the fences" route. 

Option three, you could use a gel stain on the doors. Gel stains don't absorb into the wood, they tend to just sit on top so they're pretty darn effective for evening out color variations. The down side is, mahogany is a nicely figured wood and your stain needs to penetrate to highlight its beauty. So this route won't give the very nice wood of the doors it's full impact. Call this the "Good enough I guess" route.

Option four: Stain the doors with whatever stain you choose to highlight the figure of the wood, seal it with a couple coats of dewaxed shellac. Mix some dye into another batch of shellac and use it as a shader to selectively color areas you want to match. After it's dry coat the entire thing with a UV protectant finish such as Marine Polyurethane to help stave off graying and weathering of the wood. Call this the "I'm a chemist" option. This would probably be the one I would attempt myself, but it does assume you have access to spray equipment and are competent using it. Shading (selective coloring of the wood using a colored finish) is nearly impossible to do by brush. The brush or pad lines are too obvious and hard. 

OK Cabinetman, you're the guru around here, what do you think?


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