I would not use any kind of dye to darken the wood. I would just go with a coat of garnet dewaxed shellac, and 2 coats of Varnish.

amrad,

So is it your opinon that the garnet shellac is likely to provide sufficient darkening by itself? And why varnish over the shellac? From everyting I've read, a few coats of shellac should provide a nice finish and will allow me to easily touch up any dings. What about using the BLO to accentuate the graining?

Thanks,
Lorree

Casey,

Thanks for the clarification on dyes and stripped woodwork. I hadn't thought of that complication (the reaction of the methylene chloride/paint/original finish/mineral spirits with the raw wood and that whole result's effect on the wood's uptake of the dye). I do like the look of the garnet shellac on your antique pine sample, so I'm thinking a couple coats (or more) of that may be sufficient. (If I'm the one doing it, it *will* be sufficient. LOL)

If nothing else, I can do small "test patches" on the section of baseboard that's hidden behind the radiator. We had to move the radiator to repair some of the plaster behind it and since we moved it, I went ahead and stripped the baseboard. I suppose that's not much of a test area, but at least it's something.

Any thoughts on the linseed oil? Yes? No? Test it and see?

Thanks,
Lorree

I realize this is an old post but I'm curious to know how the heart pine door turned out. I'm getting ready to tackle a very similar project.

Wow, it *has* been a while! The "boyfriend" in my OP has been "husband" for just over five years now. LOL Anyway....

I followed Casey's advice and didn't dye the wood. Going from memory: I first did a coat of BLO and let that sit for a day or so. Then I did three coats of shellac: 1 x Kusmi button shellac, 2 x Bysakhi button shellac.

The finish isn't as dark as my husband wanted, but the wood grain is beautifully vibrant. I'm thrilled with the result and plan to use the same process on the rest of the wood in the house. (He'd still like a darker result. Even when I insist that his beloved "original finish color" is shellac with an embedded layer of antique dirt -- which I'm NOT including! -- he's still convinced that there's some shellac out there that will provided a darker, browner coat on the reds/oranges/yellows of the heart pine.) I can try to add a photo later if you're interested.

Lorree

Thank you for your quick response and congratulations on your marriage!

I would love to see a photo of your finished work. Like you several years ago, I've been researching the best way to refinish my 100-year-old heart pine doors. They had many layers of paint, which I've removed. They are not perfect — pretty dinged up and dented. None the less, I think they'll be pretty once done. My biggest obstacle right now is how to get the wood color more even. My husband and I are restoring a 1905 house and these doors were original.

As you can see from the photo, there is quite a lot of blotching. I've been able to research how to "avoid" blotching in pine just not how to "correct" it. I thought using dyes might help even things out. Of course the blotching might just be some of that "antique dirt" you mentioned.

Staining or dying pine then means I have to decide whether to condition the wood. That process has its pros and cons too.

I would prefer to oil and seal like you did but the uneven color is forcing me to consider other options.

Thanks so much for your input.

Kim

Could you write a review of those buttonlacs? Especially if you have used other kinds like Ruby or Garnet. I'm tempted to again experiment with wax-containing shellacs, but my 2001 experience with generic caramel-colored buttonlac was not pleasant. The darker colored ones may be better.
Thanks.
Casey

Lorree, when you get a chance I'd love to see a picture of your finished door.

Thanks so much!

"he's still convinced that there's some shellac out there that will
provided a darker, browner coat on the reds/oranges/yellows of the heart
pine"

There is, but it would be a custom-tinted one with a brown dye in it, like the Dark Walnut TransTint® Dye.

http://www.rockler.com/transtintreg-dyes

synrgystyk: Hi Lorree, I would love to take you up on your offer to post a photo of the woodwork. We are currently considering staining/finishing our antique heart pine trim and moldings with Rubio Monocoat oil finish.

After stripping everything down, we decided that we want to maintain a natural look, but also something really durable and versatile. Here is a molding pic, unfinished.

However, when we tried a clear coating, we found that a clear finish accentuated the imperfections in the wood, so perhaps a stain is in order.

Quite a process! Seeing a pic of your hard work might help us to imagine the possibilities.