We all know the dangers of woodworking. Power tools, and even hand tools, when not used properly and without taking the proper precautions, can cause great harm, and we must be careful. There is a reason why we recommend eye …
I understand the importance of achieving the perfect finish on your projects. Applying polyurethane over stain can be a game-changer for both protection and aesthetics. Whether you’re working with water-based, oil-based, or gel stains, I will help you enhance the …
As a woodworking fanatic with perpetually stained hands, I’ve experimented with every type of wood under the sun. Red oak’s intricate grain has always tempted me, but I could never get the deeper stains to penetrate properly. After too many …
In a previous article on these pages, we discussed the differences between Waterlox and Watco Danish oil. While there are differences between them, they are negligible on most of the important considerations, but the purpose of the article was to …
Stained your beautiful woodwork only to seal it with varnish and realize the color’s all wrong? I’ve made every mistake imaginable when it comes to wood stains and varnishes, and I’ll show you how to fix discolored varnish without starting …
When I was young, horseshoes were one of our outdoor activities. I played horseshoes every weekend with the father and brothers of the girl I was dating in high school, and the games were very competitive. Key Points: Later, I …
Have you ever used a piece of birch wood (solid wood) in a woodworking project? Or are you more familiar with birch plywood, whether all birch or with a birch top veneer? If you have used solid wood in a …
The finishing part of a woodworking project has many options, with staining and painting being the most obvious. It’s the choice of topcoat that has many more options, and one of the most common today is polyurethane. You’ve likely worked …
Spar Urethane offers a formidable shield, safeguarding wood from moisture, sunlight, and fluctuating temperatures. Known for its robust composition, this wood finish combines resins and oils, fortified with UV blockers, to extend the life of your outdoor furniture and decks. …
Red is a primary color that attracts attention and is associated with strong emotions. It can symbolize both positive and negative emotions, such as love, passion, anger, and fear. Red is also associated with danger and warning and is used …
If only everything we use in finishing a project were self-leveling, like the concrete or goop, we use to provide an undercoat in bathroom flooring, for instance. Wouldn’t that be great? Everything self-leveling? Sadly, that is not the case. Brush …
We like using an oil finish on our woodworking projects at Obsessed Woodworking. We’ve written about a number of oils used in finishing wood, including boiled linseed oil, Danish oil, and teak oil. Today we want to drill down a …
We recently wrote an article about painting cedar wood white. While we wonder why anyone would want to since cedar is a beautiful wood on its own, we had been asked, and so we answered. Everyone walks their own woodworking …
The white picket fence was always a part of the American home ownership dream. It wasn’t meant to keep pesky animals out, animals that might feast on your flowers or lawn; it was meant to put a finishing touch on …
A lawyer friend of mine once told me most of his clients had as their first question, “Can I be sued?” He always answered yes, but told them the more important question was whether they could be sued successfully. That …
A while back, we wrote a piece about poplar wood and asked whether poplar is stronger than pine. We will not repeat our answer here, but we did provide some helpful information about poplar in the woodworking shop. That piece …
Ever wondered if you can mix oil-based polyurethane with water-based stain? You’re in the right place! I am going to dive into the nitty-gritty of combining these two finishes. Why does this matter? Because getting it right can transform your …
When we began our woodworking hobby, we assumed there was a generally accepted order in which our project was to be finished. If the wood was to be stained, we stained, and then we added a topcoat, whether polyurethane, varnish, …