# topcoat for baseboards and door moulding



## herman2010 (Jun 9, 2010)

I need advice on a finishing baseboards and door casing. I will be staining vertical-grain doug-fir with a custom-color Valspar stain I had made up to match my wood floors (Mahogany). I am going for a mission-style/bungalow/art-and-crafts look and tend to like the oiled look rather than a varnish look. Can I just stain the baseboards and leave them without a topcoat? Should I put a lacquer on them (I have lots of Deft brush-on lacquer around)? Should I use Danish oil (I have lots of Natural Watco around I'll be using on some redwood in other parts of the house).

The interior doors are doug-fir 3-panel shaker-style and I'll be staining them the same color. So I guess I have the same question about topcoat for those too.

Thanks for any advice.


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## Mr Mac (May 31, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! 

For trim I like to use some sort of hard finish (poly or varnish) to protect the wood and to keep me from having to recoat/refinish the surface later down the road as life goes on.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

herman2010 said:


> I need advice on a finishing baseboards and door casing. I will be staining vertical-grain doug-fir with a custom-color Valspar stain I had made up to match my wood floors (Mahogany). I am going for a mission-style/bungalow/art-and-crafts look and tend to like the oiled look rather than a varnish look. Can I just stain the baseboards and leave them without a topcoat? Should I put a lacquer on them (I have lots of Deft brush-on lacquer around)? Should I use Danish oil (I have lots of Natural Watco around I'll be using on some redwood in other parts of the house).
> 
> The interior doors are doug-fir 3-panel shaker-style and I'll be staining them the same color. So I guess I have the same question about topcoat for those too.
> 
> Thanks for any advice.



Narrow running lengths of woodwork can be finished with a satin brush on lacquer, or flattened even more with a flattening agent. My opinion for larger surfaced areas like passage doors, spraying works out best. 

Oil base finishes like varnish or polyurethanes can be used either as a brush on or a wipe on, but they take a while to dry. Spraying that finish can be a PITA.


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## herman2010 (Jun 9, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> Narrow running lengths of woodwork can be finished with a satin brush on lacquer, or flattened even more with a flattening agent. My opinion for larger surfaced areas like passage doors, spraying works out best.
> 
> Oil base finishes like varnish or polyurethanes can be used either as a brush on or a wipe on, but they take a while to dry. Spraying that finish can be a PITA.


Thanks for the advice. I brushed on two coats of Deft brush-on lacquer on some baseboards. It seems like it has a bit of a waxy feel to it. Is this normal? Maybe I only needed one coat?


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