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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Dark finish on trim in older homes?

Dark finish on trim in older homes?

I've found some discussion on replicating old trim finishes but wondered if anyone knew what the exact formulation is for the dark finish found on older softwood.

Our house, like a lot of Toronto homes from the early part of the 1900s, has Douglas Fir trim with a dark coating that appears to be shellac. The thing about it is that it looks like it was applied as a single thick coat and acts more like a glaze rather than a stain. i've tried staining new Douglas fir and can get the colour close but can't avoid the grain reversal that happens with softwoods.

"The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also."

I suppose I could get close with enough coats of garnet shellac but I'm curious as to how the old timers managed to achieve such a dark finish in a fast, efficient way.

-- "The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also." ― Mark Twain

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OETA Story on Recycled Wood aired on 11/03/09