What wax for reclaimed unfinished pine doors?

[rossyl]

Hi,

I've got doors that currently look like this (unfinished reclaimed victorian pine doors):




and I'd like them to have this sort of colour to the finish:





Firstly, what product should i be using (especially given dirt from people contantly touching the doors, and mosture - in terms of the door in the bathroom) - oil, tinted wax..I'm thinking maybe not varnish or stain.

Secondly - any brands or colours?

Thanks all.
R

 

[big-all]

if they have been wet dipped don't do anything for 4 to six weeks to allow them to dry out

 

[rossyl]

here's where I bought it from, and their technique:

http://www.londondoorstripping.co.uk/techniques.html

 

[RigidRaider]

If you wax them they will continue to dry out to the point where they will crack and warp and the panels will become loose. You need to allow them to dry out from the dipping but not to the point where they are becoming really dessicated so storing them upright in a well-ventilated cool garage would be better than hanging them unprotected in a heated house. This way the surface wetness can dry off leaving the wood with its natural moisture content. You wouldn't believe how much moisture is in even seasoned wood and how much the wood shrinks if you force this moisture out; the shrinking is what makes it crack.

Best is to buy some Dulux Trade polyurethane varnish in satin or matt and give them three coats, rubbing down between coats. Be sure to varnish the tops and bottoms and any rebates to give full protection from drying out. This varnish is excellent and very forgiving of mistakes as it dries almost flat and you can't really see drips and brush strokes. After three coats you'll have a smooth sheen that looks like wax but should last for ever and is waterproof and washable. I've done nine doors like this in the satin. I finished all off with a gentle rub down with very fine sandpaper to remove any bits of dust and they feel lovely and smooth to the touch.

Don't buy regular varnish, the trade stuff is better. DON'T buy Ronseal, it's nasty and shiny even in the so-called Matt version and shows all the brush strokes and drips. Don't buy water-based varnish, you need paraffin-based.

Pine will darken quite a lot when you first varnish it then more as the weeks go by so it will end up not too far from that oak door you have pictured. I would not use a coloured varnish.

Dulux Trade varnish: http://www.icipaints.co.uk/products/info/dulux_trade_polyurethane_varnish.jsp

This is how ours ended up, they are cerejeira veneer on pine:

(By the way the door misses the towel rail, it's just foreshortened in the photo!)