Fixing minwax stain/finish in one

[tnff]

Been working with my son on a large cabinet project out of oak ply. Long story short son had some friends "help" apply Minwax Poly Stain/Finish in one. Well one friend tried to treat it like paint and get a full opaque coverage. The result is one side of the cabinet looks blotchy with some parts practically black and others with no coverage at all.

I was thinking of sanding down the darkest blotches and then recoating with a thinned wash of the stain to try to even out the tone. Any thoughts if this will work or are we looking at a complete rebuild?

Thanks,
TNFF

[JR1]

I'd strip it and use a more controllable and reliable finish schedule and approach.

[Restorer]

kleen strip premium chemical stripper in the copper can. to strip the finish. throw the polyshades away. Start over with about anything else. might be easier and cheaper to just start over.

[Wild Turkey]

If it's just one side and it's flat I might try wet sanding with fine grit "wet or dry" and see if I could thin down the thickest parts but stripping might be the final answer.

That stuff is just semi-transparent paint. Ruined a piece of wood or two myself.

[tnff]

Thanks guys. Looks like instead of being done, we're looking at several days of wasted work trying to undo the damage. This wasn't a small project -- 3 cabinets 6 feet high by 40 inches wide. A lot of work and material went into this so far and I don't want to redo them.

Will let you know how it turns out.

TNFF

[jteneyck]

You may not want to redo them - but you should if you want them to look right. Just put your head down and strip them. It won't take long and then you can start over with a clean slate.

John

[bhh]

I have a wood finishing book from the mid-1950s. The author talks about "varnish stains":

"The results of this attempt [to use] do not always turn out as desired. You discover that you have neither stained the wood properly not applied a good coat of varnish. The reason for this should be quite obvious. The properties of a good stain are penetration and clarity. The varnish stain has neither of these qualities. It does not penetrate the surface, and the varnish diminishes its transparency. The result of using this stain is a muddy, streaky surface on the wood. Yet these stains are used by many, because it is believed that time and money are being saved."

Throw away the polyshades.
Strip it off.
Start over with proper products.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Is paint an option? Sounds like a lot of sanding...

[tnff]

Promised an update. Well son and I spent most of Sunday stripping. Couldn't get back to a pristine surface, but got closer to a presentable look. Then mixed up some stain and thinner to a close match and spent the rest of Sunday getting the color evened out. Took some time but we got a fairly even look. Today we went with plain, old fashioned varnish. End result is probably about 85% of his original goal. Overall look is about the color of the old fumed oak. There are still a couple of shelves he's not proud off and he's working on a plan to cover those.

All told he's a bit happier now than he was Saturday night, and I'm a whole lot sorer from all the extra work.

[WoodCzech]

I have used Polyshades once....ONCE!