I've just spend a lot of my savings and many hours work buying and hanging some new hardwood internal doors. The manufacturer recommended I coat them with Sikkens. Consequently I've bough some Sikkens Interior Cetol TS. (7.5 lites, which is probably far too much.) Anyway, my question is - is Sikkens a complete finish for interior doors or am I supposed to paint on a couple of coats of Sikkens to dye the wood then varnish it with something else? After the first coat, the doors don't look anything special - and certainly not polished. I was expecting a nice gloss finish at this stage. Will it get any better by coat 3? Also, should you put this stuff on with a brush or a sponge? David
Is it a coloured varnish? If so the more coats you apply the darker the finish will be. Ideally a clear coat first to seal wood, leave 24 hours to dry, rub down and dust off then apply your staining coat at least 2 maybe 3 coats, lightly rubbing down between coats. If the wood is sealed first the stained varnish will give an even colour rather than soak in to areas that absorb more easily than others. You may find the finish is dark enough after 2 coats then you can always finish off with a coat of clear, best stick to Sikkens though as you know that it will be compatible.
the more coats you put on will make them look better but each coat will slightly darken the doors. The sikkens is qaulity stuff so you should acheive a high class finish, give the doors a light rub down inbetween coats with fine wet or dry paper to de nib them. After 3 coats they sould be looking very nice provided the doors have been prepared and the woodstain aplied properly. And you should apply it with a good qaulity brush, i use hamilton perfections for woodstains and varnish. good luck.
Never used silkens before but would echo all the advice, also wipe down with a tack cloth and hover before each coat.
Agree with all above but............. After the first coat, the doors don't look anything special - and certainly not polished. I was expecting a nice gloss finish at this stage. You wont get a gloss finish with what you're using. It's not a gloss varnish.
I love this product, use it loads (although I use it more over painted finishes) and it's a cracker. It is a single product system and the clear is a very very clear product (unlike a lot of the polys) that doesn't yellow too readily so if you've bought clear, you won't get much more depth of colour although you may get some. The lustre will improve, TS Interior has a lovely lustre when finished but it is a soft, soft mid sheen not a gloss as the Cat says. You can however wax and polish once finished and it gives an almost french polished look. Here are some excerpts copied and pasted from the product spec that I have on file, if you have concerns it is best to speak to Ackzo Nobel's woodcare guys and gals - they are very helpful. 01480 496868 Note: Dependent upon absorption and drying conditions. Certain hardwoods are often rich in natural oils or extractives that can seriously affect the drying, absorption and adhesion of all finishes. These must be removed by wiping the surfaces with a cloth dampened with cellulose thinners or equivalent. Avoid applying in high relative humidity or when the air/substrate temperatures are below 8C or above 30C. Apply 3 coats of Cetol TS Interior to a wet film loading 60 micrometres per coat, lightly sanding between coats. Cetol TS Interior should be applied by brush in a full flowing coat and brushed out to ensure even coverage. Avoid overbrushing, as this will cause brush marks and a poor quality finish. For the best results the room should be dust free. The depth of colour achieved will be dependent upon the colour of the wood or existing finish and the number of coats of coloured Cetol TS Interior applied, we therefore strongly recommend that a trial application is carried out to ensure acceptability. If the required depth of colour is achieved in less than three coats, complete the full specification with colourless Cetol TS Interior. Cetol TS Interior is formulated for brush application and is supplied ready for use. However for surfaces that are particularly porous, apply a first coat of varnish thinned with clean white spirit in the volume ratio of one part white spirit to 9 parts Cetol TS Interior, followed by 2 coats of unthinned Cetol TS Interior.