Trouble matching window trim finish (w/photos)

[Phil Thien]

Take a couple of the larger flakes and drop them in alcohol and see if they will dissolve.

Yes = Tinted shellac.

No = Some other varnish.

[jteneyck]

That looks a lot like PPG Cetol Door and Window varnish.  It's primarily used for exterior work but can be used for interior work, too.  Worth a look:  Link.  I can buy it at my local Benjamin Moore store.  

John

[K. L. McReynolds]

Ipswitch pine stain(Minwax oil based) with oil based varnish.

[Cooler]

Put some alcohol on a rag and see if the finish dissolves when you rub it.   If so, it is probably shellac.  Sometimes you can "fix" that finish by simply hand rubbing with an alcohol rag (I've not done this, but this is something I have seen on a TV program for restoring finishes).

If it is shellac, then blending flakes to achieve the color is the way to go.

[rwe2156]

I would try some Amber shellac.  Just get the stuff Home Depot sells.   Its not dewaxed but it doesn't matter if its a top coat.

[Woodjets]

Looks like varnish. 
If I were a gambler, that's where I'd place my bet.

[overland]

Guy at a  Benjamin Moore store was helpful. He suggests repairing with a gel stain and satin poly on top. He'll says he can mix a gel stain to match the color. It looks like the right consistency and body. Worth a try.

[Phil Thien]

Gotta be better than what the previous owner of our house did: A fairly close match of semi-gloss paint.

Now all our trim is painted.

It is a major reason why this house sat on the market for nine months, I think. People struggled with the thought of refinishing the windows and trim.

I was like, “lowball, sand, paint everything.”

I like the painted trim, the rooms seem larger.

[woodgrain]

I'm at my wit's end. I'm trying to repair the interior trim around our windows--especially places where condensation, etc., has caused the finish to flake off and in some places mildewed the wood. Anyway, I can't find any product to match the finish. It looks like a paint (sort of a yellow pine color) in that it has some body and will flake off, and yet it's  semi transparent. The underlying wood is pine, and you can see the grain. Not as well as with a stain, but it's still visible. I looked at Miniwax's poly/stain blends, but it's not really thick enough--at least it's not like what we've got.
  Any advice? The whole house is full of the stuff (applied by some previous owner 10-15 years ago).

Look like a Shellac.  Shellac will amber up with age, Bulls Eye sells one that is an amber.  I buy both and mix - play with the ratios to get the correct tone.

[Woodenfish]

Generally, if the finish dissolves with denatured alcohol it’s shellac. If it dissolves with lacquer thinner it’s lacquer. If none of those work it’s a varnish.

The problems solution depends on what you want it to look like and how much money, time and effort are you willing?

If it’s not the Taj Mahal and is never gonna be then sand, prime, caulk, paint.

Wood finishes do have a life cycle and it looks like yours has seen better days. Hope this helps.