How to Stain Wood

Wood by itself is a thing of beauty. But in many situations, we need to dress up wood to meet the aesthetic and practical requirements of its design and environment of use. Staining wood is the first step in dressing it up. Make pine look like teak wood or wood look like green bamboo, there are innovative ways to achieve striking results.

There are many schools of practice on how to stain wood. Let us look at some traditional and modern methods each have their own pros n cons.

Traditionally in India, wood is stained using powder pigments. These powder pigments are often chalk powder based and it involves mixing of raw pigments such raw sienna, burnt sienna, burnt umber etc with porbander chalk powder. These are then mixed with dispensing media such as French polish, sanding sealers or solvents such as methylated spirit and applied on the wood using a cotton rag. This method hides most imperfections on the wood and is suitable to any type and colour of wood. Unfortunately, along with hiding the imperfections, it also hides the natural grain of the wood giving it a pasty appearance. This method is suitable only for hand polishing or French polish. The stain thus obtained cannot be coated over by melamine or PU as the solvents used to dispense the pigment are not compatible with these polymer coatings. More over, if coated over, the solvents used to stain the wood begin to evaporate and cause the polymer film to break and eventually peel off.

There is another method to stain wood using powder pigments that does not involve solvents. Pure pigments such as the oxides of iron available in yellow, red and black hues can be mixed with water and applied to stain the wood. The intensity of the stains thus created can be controlled by changing the dilution of the pigment. In such a method, a pre stain coating is recommended as the stain can turn out patchy when applied using a rag or a roller. Application of the water based stain thus created causes the wood grain to get slightly raised lending a rough surface. Pre wetting and sanding of the raised grain is recommended to avoid this problem. This method is compatible with all types of wood coatings. Due to the absence of heavy powder usage, the wood grain appears enhanced and clear. The only drawback to this method is control of the stain intensity. Different batches of the stain may turn out different if the proportions are not the same.

The method recommended by most experienced wood workers is staining using manufactured wood stains. These stains are available off the shelf in a variety of colours. They are available in water

based and solvent based varieties. The solvent based variety carries a fast evaporating solvent which flashes off in about 2-3 hours and is compatible with all types of wood coatings. The water based variety dries off slower but provides a more even finish. The water based stain also needs to be applied after pre wetting and sanding for a smooth finish. Both stains can be applied as is or after dilution with an appropriate solvent. To get an even stain, it is recommended to apply a coat of pre-stain before staining the wood.

Application of Stains

The first step to applying wood stain is applying the pre-stain.

What is pre-stain?
Pre stain is a coating used before staining of wood. It partially closes the grain of the wood and makes it less absorbent. The stain applied after pre stain spreads more evenly.

Is pre-stain available in India?
Pre-stain is not available readily off the shelf in India, but one can easily create a pre-stain using the following method:
Purchase a can of the appropriate sealer - it can be water based or solvent based. Some varieties of sealer are: Water based PU sealer, solvent based PU sealer, Melamine sealer, and for hand polish -

sanding sealer.
Thin it 100% using the appropriate solvent. For water based sealers, use water and for solvent based sealers such as PU Sealers, use PU thinner.
This is your pre-stain.
Apply it along the grains using a cotton rag or a roller.
After the application of the pre-stain, the wood stain can be applied using a clean cotton rag or a roller along the grains. More than one coat of stain can be applied to get a greater colour depth, but remember, more stain means lesser natural wood grain.
This completes the wood stain.

To complete the wood finish, wood sealer must be applied over the stain first. Never sand the wood stain. Sanding must be done only after application of the sealer. The sealer now applied must be applied as a sealer coat and not as a pre-stain i.e. the sealer must now be thicker in consistency and used with the intention of sealing the wood completely. More than one coat of sealer must be applied, sanding with emery grit 180 between coats and with emery grit 320 on the final coat. The wood can then be finished using the top coat.

Hope this helps you stain your wood to perfection.

For a huge range of wood stains and sealers, visit http://paintnhardware.com/20-wood-finishes

Also available at our store :

 

Melamine vs PU

Two of the most popular transparent/natural wood finishes are melamine and PU(Polyurethane). Melamine and PU are both synthetic hydrocarbon polymers which form a film over the wood surface that is coated, thus laminating it. The purpose of lamination is to preserve the wood by not allowing the moisture of the wood to escape, preventing it from damage from the elements and protecting it from wear and tear from use. Both finishes enhance the aesthetics of the wood by allowing light to refract inside the transparent layer formed by them. Both the finishes have a similar application procedure by spray. So, what is the difference between the two?

The main difference is in the life of the coatings and its resistance to the elements.

PU Finished Door

Melamine was a great improvement over wood polish as a transparent wood finish when it was introduced in the Indian market in the late 80s and the 90s and is popular to date due to its economy. But melamine has its limitations. The film formed by melamine is only moderately resistant to water. It deteriorates when exposed to sunlight. The film easily yellows and looses lustre. The film begins to crack at the wood joints over time.

With the advent of polyurethane (PU) in the late 90s, most of the shortcomings of melamine were covered. PU forms a tougher film than melamine. It is more scratch resistant. It is flexible and does not crack with the movement of the wood joints. It is UV resistant and can be used on woods that are used in exteriors, such as entrance doors and windows. It does not yellow easily and gives a high lustre. The lustre is also retained longer due to its UV resistance.

PU gives clear advantages over melamine as the application procedure remains the same for both and there is no new skill required to apply PU. Thus the work involved takes the same time and effort on part of the applicator.

Consider wood finishing as a one time investment as reworking of wood finishes takes up lot of resources, skill, time and money. Go for the best coating for your expensive teak or other exotic woods as it will not only preserve the wood but also enhance its aesthetics.

Some things to note when applying Melamine or PU

Melamine or melamatt polish as it is popularly known among the painting contractors is usually sprayed over French/hand polished surfaces, which is not the intended procedure of application.

A study of melamine shows that for all intents and purposes, as in PU, was not originally developed as a wood coating. It is a product of innovation and adaptation that these products are used as wood coatings. The adaptation requires a specific application procedure for the product to perform as a wood coating. These application procedures are grossly ignored by applicators and contractors.

A damaged French Polished door

Applicators apply generous coats of French polish and NC Based Sanding sealers as a preparation for the final coating by melamine or PU. They do this as their skill set for colour matching of wood is based on French polish techniques.

The melamine and PU films often fail as the solvents in the French polish and NC sealers are not compatible with solvents used in PU and melamine coatings. Also, the solvents in the French polish applied under transparent coatings are exposed to light and begin to evaporate and cause blisters in the polymer film formed over it.

It is thus highly recommended that application of French polish be avoided when any such coatings are applied. Wood coated by French polish has its own charm and should not be over coated by polymer coatings.

There are much simpler and compatible colour matching techniques for melamine and PU using wood stains, which we shall discuss in another post.

For a huge range of wood finishes visit http://paintnhardware.com/20-wood-finishes

Also available at our store :

Cement Based Powder Tile Grouts Vs Epoxy Tile Grouts

Tile joint fillers also known as grout are traditionally white cement based powders that are used to fill gaps between tiles and other gaps in bathrooms and flooring. It is common practice even today to use white cement dyed with mineral based powder pigments (known commonly as oxide powders) to fill tile joints in bathrooms, flooring and terraces. While this fills the joints, it is not very long lasting. Being a cement based compound, it is not waterproof. It is absorbent and as a result carries moisture, leading to fungal/algal growth. This is what gives that ugly black/green stain to the tile joints. Also being a lime based product, it is not resistant to common cleaning agents such as acids and bathroom cleaners. This leads to erosion of the grout and ultimately water leakages through the joints.

To cover some shortcomings such as quick discolouration and uniform colour matching, many powder based cement grouts are available. These powder based cement grouts don't do much more that the above. They have no great resistance to cleaning agents and also are not waterproof. Some powder grouts do have additives to enable wide-tile-joint filling where normal grouts tend to crack. SBR based additives are also available to enhance the waterproofing capabilities of powder grouts, but they do nothing to enhance the resistance to cleaning agents.

Epoxy grouts cover all the above shortcomings. They work well as waterproof and chemical resistant tile joint fillers. They also work well on wide tile joints. They have a smooth glossy finish and never loose colour.

Epoxy grouts are supplied as 2 part or 3 part packs. They consist mainly of a resin and a hardner. 2 pack epoxies usually have a coloured resin and 3 part epoxies have clear resins and hardners and a third pigmented powder component used as an opaque filler. 2 part epoxies are easier to use in that they are easier to mix and apply. 3 part epoxies are cumbersome to mix and cause some amount of wastage.

Unlike powder grouts which have to be mixed with water to get a paste like consistency to apply. Epoxy grouts are ready to use once all its components are mixed. The mixed epoxy has a pot life of 25-45 minutes. It is prudent to be cautious while deciding on the quantity of material to be mixed. Mix only so much that can be used within its pot life. The immediate tack free time is about 10-15 minutes after application. The excess grout must be cleaned up before about 20 minutes from application. The only drawback for epoxy grouts is that it can leave behind a mess if not cleaned up properly in time. Epoxy grouts are usually applied using spacers between tiles so as to provide larger surface area for the grout to bond to the substrate. Spacers of 3mm minimum are recommended. Epoxy grout needs a dust and moisture free substrate.

Most bathroom leakages can be arrested using epoxy grouts. Epoxy grouts applied in a contrasting colour to the tiles form a beautiful grid pattern that is both modern and minimalist in design.

Epoxy grouts, as discussed above, out-perform on most criteria and are the future in tile laying.

For Commercially available Epoxy Grouts refer to "Bathroom leakage repairs - Waterproofing Tile Joints using Epoxy Grouts".

What is the Difference Between Duco NC Lacquer and PU?

Duco is a brand owned by Akzo Nobel (formerly ICI) and represents a Nitro Cellulose (NC) Based lacquer available in transparent and opaques. NC lacquers were widely used in the automobile industry to finish vehicle bodies to get a tough weather resistant, glossy film with performance far superior to the then prevalent enamels. But there were a few drawbacks to NC. NC Lacquers are highly viscous and take large amounts of thinner to thin to a sprayable consistency. Nitrocellulose on exposure to sunlight deteriorates, loses gloss and turns yellow. It is also notorious to apply on edges and often begin to peel off at the edges. The NC paints needed to be periodically buffed to remove the yellowed top layer. This leads to reduction of the paint film thickness. NC lacquers are also sensitive to ambient temperature and humidity during application. The temperature and humidity are known to adversely affect the gloss of the finish.

With the advent of Polyurethane coatings, NC began losing popularity as the preferred choice for vehicle body painting. PU as polyurethane is popularly known, has far better technical specifications to NC. PU is colour fast in sunlight and does not deteriorate even on prolonged exposure. PU forms a tougher film than NC due to extensive cross-linking introduced in the polymer. PU does not chip or peel off like NC. No buffing is required to maintain colour and gloss. PU can also be applied in a wide range of atmospheric conditions as compared to NC. PU is also easier to tint and match than NC due to the clarity of its binder and lower viscosity. PU can also be tinted to metallic shades. PU is also available in matt finishes.

Both NC and PU are used to coat wood and metal. These materials are also in wide use in home decor. PU is now the leading coating in the automotive industry and is fast gaining popularity in the decorative segment as well.

With green standards fast becoming the norm, PU is also available in water based variants that can be used to coat wood. They have a comparable performance to Solvent based PUs and are much easier to apply. They don't require elaborate spray equipment and also do not pose a health hazard as they can be brushed on.

For a wide range of lacquers and coatings, visit our online store.

Also available at our store :

A Comparison of Europa Door Lock and Godrej Ultra Tribolt Door Lock

Godrej Tribolt with Auto Latch

Europa Door Lock

A comparison of 2 similar and popular main door locks to put into perspective their convenience of use, safety and to help choose the better lock.


Locking Bolts
The Godrej Tribolt lock has 2 square locking bolts and 1 tower bolt. The locking bolts and tower bolt can be locked from within your home, but form outside, only the locking bolts can locked and the tower bolt cannot be locked. Leading to reduced safety.

Europa Door lock has 3 round locking bolts which are lockable from within you home and also from outside. Giving you the highest security at all times.

The Europa Door Lock is more secure.

Keys
Both locks have 4 dimple keys. The Europa Lock has a key with a torch for use in low light.

Receptacle
The Europa door lock has a strong thick Receptacle and a flange with four screws.The Godrej Tribolt has a strong thick Receptacle and a flange with five screws.

The Godrej Receptacle is slightly stronger.

Knob Lock
The Europa Door Lock has a unique Lockable Knob, which allows operation of the lock without a key from inside the house. The key is only needed to lock or unlock the knob and not the lock itself.
 
Stroke
The Godrej Tribolt has a single stroke, making it difficult for aged or young people to operate.

The Europa Door Lock has a double smooth stroke, making it easy to operate.

The Europa lock is smoother to operate.

Auto Latch, Dead Lock
The Godrej Auto Latch Tribolt has no Dead Lock which can be used to disable the lock in case of loss of keys. No Dead Lock also means that there is no reliable mechanism to temporarily disable the auto latch feature. It instead has a ring on the latch handle which can be used to disable the auto latch.

The Europa Auto Latch Door Lock has a Dead Lock feature which can be used to disable the lock when ever the need is felt. It can also be used to temporarily disable the auto latch.

The Europa lock with its additional dead lock feature is more secure and convenient.

Convenience
The Godrej Tribolt has no single point of use, as the knobs for the dead bolts, tower bolt and auto latch are all separate. To unlock, the user has to operate 3 different knobs.

The Europa Door Lock has a smartly designed knob which is a single point of operation for the lock.

The Europa Lock is much easier to use than the Godrej Tribolt.

Price
Comparing the prices for both the locks, the Europa lock is at a more reasonable price point than the Godrej lock.

Free Installation
Both companies offer free installation by professional carpenters for wooden doors and door frames.

The Europa Door Lock's uncompromising safety, economy and convenience of use definitely outweigh the features of the Godrej Tribolt.

The Europa Door lock is the smart and secure choice for your Main Entrance Door.

To have a look at both locks, you can hop over to our store at :

Shree Venkateshwara Traders
#712, Modi Hospital Road, WOC,
Mahalaxmipuram, Bangalore 560086

ph: 9036092531
email : venkateshwara.traders@gmail.com

Advantages of Telescopic Channels over Wheel Slides

Telescopic channels or telescopic drawer slides can be used in drawers, file cabinets, kitchen baskets etc. to enable ease of sliding.

Telescopic channels have the added advantage of "holding the drawer in its slot". That is to say that the drawer will not fall out of its slot even if it is fully drawn out.

Telescopic channels score over ordinary wheel slides 1. In reducing friction. They use ball bearings to reduce friction.
2. Keeps the drawer in its slot. Does not allow the drawer to fall out. Ordinary wheel channels do not prevent this.

Telescopic Channel

3. Allows the drawer to be fully drawn out. In wheel channels, the drawer can be drawn out to about 80% of its length only.
4. Telescopic channels have a higher load bearing

Wheel Slide

capacity. They are usually rated to carry 10-45 kilograms. Wheel channels cannot take heavy loads.
5. Telescopic channels can be used in large drawers - as deep as 36". Wheel channels do not perform very well in lengths beyond 24".

Telescopic channels are also available in varieties such as soft close, auto close and self close.

Telescopic channels are a far better choice than wheel channels for your furniture.

Godrej Safes and A Comparison Between Safe Models

Why do I need a safe?

Safes serve a variety of purposes such as:
. Safe keep of  Valuables and Cash for homes.
. Safe keep of Cash and Documents for Businesses.
. Safe keep of documents and perishables from fire and termites.
. Safe keep of Valuables in Vehicles.
. With the rising cost of Bank Lockers, one can buy peace of mind at an affordable price.

What type of safe must I buy?

There are many models of safes with varying sizes and security features available.

. Mechanical Safes
These safes provide basic security.

. Electronic Safes
No risk of losing a key and duplication. A Password only you will know.

. Biometric Safes
No risk of losing a key or forgetting a password. A Finger print unique to you.

. Safes for wardrobes
Store your personal valuables and documents in the privacy and safety of your wardrobe.

. Fire resistant safes
Keep your valuables, cash and documents safe from fire.

. File safes
Safes for important documents.

. Vehicle Safes
Ideal for trucks and goods carriers that often carry cash for delivered goods.


. Large Safes
For large valuables or a large number of valuables.

. Cash Drawers, Cash Boxes and Private/Secret Safes

There is a safe for every need.

Safes available at our store

The Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Manufactures a variety of safes:

 

Not sure of what to buy? A Comparison of the Godrej Safes will help you out:

A Comparison of Godrej Safes. Click on image to enlarge.

Available in store now, at
Shree Venkateshwara Traders
712, Modi Hospital Road,
West of Chord Road, Mahalaxmipuram
Bangalore 560086

9036092531 - Namit Bhulani
080 - 23592523 - Landline

venkateshwara.traders@gmail.com

Comparison of Europa Diamant Padlock and Godrej Navtal 7L Padlock

Looking to buy a padlock? A Comparison of 2 popular padlocks can put you on the right track.
 

Europa Diamant Brass Padlock V/S Godrej Navtal 7L Brass Padlock.

. Europa Diamant Brass Padlock MRP Rs.735.00                                                                       
. Godrej Navtal 7L Brass Padlock MRP Rs.550.00

. Both locks are similarly priced.

. Europa Diamant Padlocks are packaged in an attractive blister pack. Godrej locks are packaged in a neat carton.




















. Europa Diamant Padlock locks on both sides of the shackle, giving additional safety. Godrej Navtal padlock locks only on a single side of the shackle.

. The Shackles on both the padlocks are hardened and hacksaw resistant.

. Both locks have clinched brass bodies without any rivets.

. Europa Diamant Padlock uses pin cylinder technology and has 4 dimple keys which cannot be duplicated easily, giving it robust safety. Godrej Navtal uses traditional lever technology and has 3 toothed keys which can be very easily duplicated, compromising the safety of the lock.

. The Europa Padlock has a rating of 2 tons on the breaking point of the shackle. For Godrej Navtal the rating is unspecified.

. The Europa padlock has a Warranty of 15years. The Godrej padlock has only a 1year Warranty.

. The Europa padlock has a key registration facility which can be used to order duplicate keys from the company. The Godrej padlock has no such facility.

With the Europa Padlock's features far outweighing those of the Godrej Padlock, the Europa Padlock is a smart buy at a nominal premium.

Both locks Available in store now, at

Shree Venkateshwara Traders
712, Modi Hospital Road,
West of Chord Road, Mahalaxmipuram
Bangalore 560086

9036092531 - Namit Bhulani
080 - 23592523 - Landline

venkateshwara.traders@gmail.com

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