Refinishing problem --- what caused this?
Tim Greif - West of Chicago
I'm in the middle of refinishing a 30 year old farmhouse style table. It's constructed of alder. LOML wanted a dark ebony glaze finish for the legs and apron and a natural/golden oak finish for the top. I've finished stripping the top to bare wood and left the old fruitwood stain and oil base poly on the parts to get the glaze treatment. Scuff sanded the parts to be glazed to give it some tooth to adhere. All pieces were done the same. One apron board gave me fits. As I applied the ebony stain, it seemed to instantly dry on just the lower half of the board. All other boards took the glaze just fine, staying somewhat tacky as a glaze instead of being wiped off. The problem area appears to have penetrated the old finish and stained the underlying wood jet black. I wiped the whole board down with mineral spirits to wash off the glaze and what's left is what you're seeing in the pictures. Compare to other boards that took the glaze just fine. After the board dries overnight, I plan to spray a barrier coat of shellac and attempt to reglaze. I'll let you know how that goes. But my real question is what the heck would cause this? It's a first for me.
