Cabot's Stain And Varnish Questions & Answers
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I’m coating a pine table top with Cabot’s clear varnish (water based) and parts of the wood are turning pink
Thanks for reaching out Michelle –We would love to assist you with this, though will need to ask you a few more questions to better understand some of the specifics, so it might be easier over the phone. Please quote your personal ticket number 1132319 when you call our Woodcare technical team on 1800 011 006 and we will be able to help you with the right advice! We look forward to hearing from you soon. - Team Cabot's
I have used cabots stain and varnish satin finish 3 coats sanding lightly between on a freshly sanded timber table and achieved the perfect colour. I would like to obtain a very hard semi gloss finish. Can you recommend a clear topcoat (2 part epoxy?)to achieve this as I think more coats of the stain and varnish will darken the colour.
No sorry But be aware that such a clear top coat may still darken the timber slightly
So which product would you recommend please
Hi Sue, Great question! Thanks for reaching out with your enquiry. You can absolutely coat over to adjust the sheen, in saying that we don't recommend a 2-pack. Our Cabothane Clear Can be used over our Stain and Varnish without changing the colour, however, you have to use the corresponding base (ie: water-based with water-based, oil-based with oil-based) This is because the two bases are not compatible. Hopefully, this helps! Please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006 if you have any more questions! Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
Kind Regards, Team Cabot's
I have applied X2 coats of Maple stain , oil based varnish, to my staircase handrail. Sanded inbetween coats, two days apart. It is a new pine handrail. The colour is too yellow- brown, not as pink as the maple wood steps which I wanted to match. Is it possible to apply a more reddish stain after I sand again?
Hi Lynette, Sorry to hear that the colour of your handrails hasn't matched the way you hoped it would. Unfortunately because the varnish has been applied you won't be able to stain over the current finish. If you were to sand to remove the varnish completely, you could stain with a different colour, but note that the varnish must be removed in order for the stain to penetrate evenly. If you would like to discuss this process in more detail, please feel free to call our technical team on 1800 011 006.Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST. Kind Regards, Team Cabot's
I am using Cabot’s exterior varnish stain. Why doesn’t it say on either the can or spec sheets if you have to sand between coats?! ( … and do you have to?).
Hi Meredith, Great question! While it is not a necessity when using this product to sand in between coats, it is best practice when applying any varnish product. It will give you the best adhesion and lower the risks of grain raise. Please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006 and we can discuss all your project’s ins and outs! Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
Kind Regards, Team Cabot's
Hello, I am applying Cabot's Stain And Varnish Water Based to a set of pine dining chairs, which I sanded down to raw wood. Colour is coming nicely after 2 coats. But it is tricky to apply with brush to the rounded areas and carved areas. I am getting streaks and uneven colour in these areas. Any advice on applying to curves and carved areas, please? Thank you.
Be careful to paint away from corners and sharp angles in the carved areas.
Hello Tenicia, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your enquiry. Streaks are usually caused by the brush bristle outer edges tacking off a touch which then leaves a streak in the wet stain & varnish application as they're going. So it's important to keep a bristle-clean comb handy to run through the brush along with a bucket of water in order to keep the bristles nice, clean, soft and damp during the process. For round sections its about not over-applying to many times and making sure the brush or nap roller has a nice wet edge sustained. The damp clean nap roller would be a possible option for tricky curved sections, perhaps, but very difficult to assess the specific surface detail site unseen. So best to first test via both brush and nap roller options.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
We have used Cabot’s Natural Decking Oil on some timber above our deck. My husband thought it was neutral but it looks like it is Merbau. It is quite dark and reddish, is there any way to lighten it. Kim
Not in a practical way unfortunately Kim. You would need to sand it off.
Hello Kim, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your enquiry. Unfortunately, it is not possible to lighten this particular product. You would need to sand the timber back or strip it with a timber stripper, then clean using Cabot's Deck Clean process and recoat in the lighter Natural colour, after test coating over a small hidden section first to make sure you are happy with the dry colour result before committing to expanse.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
Is cabots oil based stain & varnish safe to use on children's furniture or wooden toys?
No I think something more natural an no oil be best !
Hello Jaimie, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your enquiry. We do not recommend any of our products be used to coat cots and toys, as they are not safe to ingest in any way (e.g., a small child putting a painted toy in their mouth).
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
What do you use to thin down the stain because of thickness?
Water.
Hello there AI M, Thank you for reaching out via Cabot’s Product Review. The Cabot’s Stain & Varnish water-based can be thinned down with some clean water using a separate clean paint tub with a lid. Please be sure not to add more than 5-10% water to 1L of stain or stain & varnish,as it can compromise the protective finish if thinned down too much. Please be sure to stir through thoroughly, according to the volume needed for the timber coating project you have. Also,be sure to test coat over a clean dry offcut or small hidden section of timber surface,just to make sure you’re happy with the dry test coated result before committing to an expanse.
If you have any further questions about this or any future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30am to 7:00pm, Saturday 8:30am to 3:00pm AEST. For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join Cabot's Live Chat service via our Cabot's website - external link
Kind Regards, Vinnie Team Cabot’s – Australia
I bought maple waterbased stain and varnish, trying to match the raw hardwood reveals of a new window to the existing Golden tas oak trim in rest of the room. I sanded and cleaned off timber thoroughly, then mixed product thoroughly, applying quickly with a brush. After a single coat the colour is too dark and almost a blotchy black along the timber edges. How can I remove this back to raw Tas Oak. I tried sanding, then Norglass Orange Peel stripper, which did help. I've sanded the timber again twice with 80 then 120 grit, and it finally looked a clean timber colour, but the minute I used a damp rag (50:50 turps/water) to clean sanding dust off, the black discolouration came back, and wiping just spread it around. It just looks terrible, and I am probably going to have to sand it all off again. I just wanted to add a slight golden hue, before clear coating with poly. Any suggestions?
Hello Jenny, Thank you for reaching out to Cabot’s via Product Review. So sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the results of our Waterbased Stain and Varnish It is a little tricky to assess the issue over this platform. In order to understand far more detail about the specifics of your project, we would need to ask you a few questions so as to find the potential reasons, and more importantly a solution.
If you wish, feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006 and quote your ticket number "764362 " to our Cabot’s technical consultant that takes your call.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30am to 7:00pm, Saturday 8:30am to 3:00pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards, Stevie - Team Cabot's
I used this product but my colour choice was wrong, too orangy with my wood. Can i put the liming white on top to soften the orangy tone? Thanks
I wouldn't muck around with that product cos it will just stay orange cos you may have bad product like I did twice! Try get it off and start sgain
Hi Alina it will look like orange timber that has been lime washed. It would be better to remove it and use the colour you want.
Hello Alina Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your enquiry. If you have used our Stain and Varnish Water Based and have found the colour is not to your liking, we would not recommend going over it in this way as there is no way to guarantee that it would soften the orange tone. It would be wiser to remove the current coating and choose another colour, being sure to test it on a small unseen area before committing to the whole expanse to be sure you are happy with it.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
What makes this product go streaky I have just down our floors and it looks terrible it’s on hardwood
Yes that's because these days it is a crap product and that's wot it does!! My 11 doors are the same and wish the joiner told me first that use only a sponge and continual swipe! I also have had 2 faulty tins. Cabots NZ said they sent a voucher but No and 7 times sent letters and photos for refund but heard nothing! Don't use this product
Agree with the above. I have had great success with this product on everything except floors.
Hello Tammy Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your enquiry. It is a little tricky to assess over this platform without knowing the surface specifics of the timber you are coating. It sounds like there may have been unequal porosity in the surface which can result in a patchy/streaky stain and varnish finish. There are methods to rectify this, but we would need some more information in order to assist you further.
Please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006. Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards, Stevie - Team Cabot's
I am staining church pews and the benches are made of plywood so I don’t want to see the grain much but I was to add a shine to them for easier clean up. Can I use the solid stain and seeler with the varnish? What products are suggested for this project? They will be used at outdoor venues for weddings so I want to weather proof them just in case.
Hello Shelby, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. If your pews are going to be protected from UV by some sort of shade cover, then I can recommend using our interior system.
Sand the pews back to bare timber, then apply 1 coat of Cabot's Water Based Exterior Clear, then 2 coats of your chosen Stain and Varnish in water-based, then 2 more coats of Exterior Clear Water Based on top. This is referred to as the sandwich technique and it gives the most durable finish.
That being said, if your pews are going to be exposed to direct sunlight on a regular basis, the product will not last. I would recommend using one of our Deck and Exterior Stains instead, however this will not get a gloss finish.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
Well it might come up okay but I wood brush the stain on
Hi Shelby don't waste your time with Cabot's products. A far superior combined gloss stain and varnish is Monocel Gold marine grade stain and varnish. It is made by Bondall and available at Bunnings and has a good colour range. Especially for plywood it will need the extra protection. Cheers
Hello So sadly a can of my stain and varnish fell from a height, lid was not closed … The contents of the can splashed up onto my antique miners couch. I have managed to remove most of it from the timber, but the fabric cover has a lot of stain/varnish on it. Is there any way I can remove or lighten the stains now ? Thank You Shannon
Hello Shanb1960, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry, and very sorry to hear of this mishap with your antique miners couch! Unfortunately, this is not our area of expertise, and we would hate to risk suggesting anything that might damage the fabric further. We would normally recommend using Methylated Spirits and a clean rag to soften the Stain and Varnish so it is easier to remove, however, This process may cause more issues. Might we suggest looking into a commercial textile cleaning service perhaps?
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
I have stained my front door with a semi-solid stain+sealer. Can I put a varnish over that to get a sheen?
Hello there Charlotte S, Thank you for reaching out via Cabot’s Product Review. If you have used the water based Cabot’s Stain & Varnish over your bare timber entry door, you can apply the Cabot’s Cabothane Clear water based in sheen finish of choice by two coats,once the stain & varnish has thoroughly dried. If it’s the oil based Cabot’s Stain & Varnish, you will need to apply the oil based Cabothane Clear in sheen finish of choice over the dry oil stain & varnish finish. Please be sure to first apply a small test coat to a small lower edge of the door. Just to be sure you are happy with the dry test coated result before committing to the door expanse.
Thank you again for the time in reaching out via Cabot’s Product Review. All the very best with your future woodcare projects.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006. Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30am to 7:00pm, Saturday 8:30am to 3:00pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards, Vinnie Team Cabot's – Australia
Hi there We’ve just stained our deck with oil bases stain red rātā - looking for reddish tinge however, first coat looked great but instructions said 2 coats. Now it’s dried really red - I assume we can’t do anything and will lighten over time? Otherwise will have to sand and re stain?
Hello Adam and Angela, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry, and sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the results of our Deck and Exterior Stain. When using this product, two coats is needed in order to build up the UV resistance and durability. That is why we always recommend testing a sample of your chosen colour on an offcut or hidden area by 2 coats, to be sure you are happy with the colour before committing to the whole expanse.
In your situation, you can apply a third coat of stain in another colour to make the deck less red, however, please bear in mind the more coats you apply, the more opaque the finish.
Alternatively, you can sand the deck back and restain it in a colour you prefer
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
HI, I've stained my treated pine deck with Cabots interior/exterior water based Deck stain (2 coats). Despite leaving it dry for longer than the recommended time after the 2nd coat, dirty shoe and boot marks are visible after walking on it. Hosing doesn't take them off, how do I maintain it on a weekly basis? Surely I should be able to just sweep it off..
Hello Stephen, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. We do not currently have any stain products that are both interior and exterior. The product you have asked about on this website is our interior only Water Based Stain and Varnish product. It is a little tricky to assess your issue over this platform, but it would certainly help to confirm exactly which product you used on your deck.
When shoe prints are visible after walking on a deck, this tends to mean that the product was not completely dry when first walked on. The recommended drying time is quoted for ideal conditions only which consist of 25 degrees, and 50% humidity or lower. If you are currently experiencing weather conditions outside of these, your deck will take longer to dry.
To rectify this issue, we recommend using Cabot's Deck Clean, as per label instructions, to wash down the deck and remove the shoe marks. Once the deck is clean and dry you can apply one final coat of stain to the deck, but be sure not to walk on it until it is completely dry.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
Hi can I thin Cabots water based stain and varnish. The varnish gets tacky very quickly during application on a cedar door giving a streaky finish. I am applying in cool conditions with temp around 15deg celsius. Thank you.
Hi David yes I have thinned this by about 10% many times for the first coat when finishing doors, seemingly without any problems. You can sometimes get some grain rise depending on the timber but lightly sand with 240# paper before the next coat to remedy this. Hope this helps.
Hello David Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. We do not recommend thinning this product, as it can affect the performance of the product. If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
I dropped few drops of Water based stain and Varnish my wooden table by mistake. What is the best way to remove those drops?
Metho or orange power sticky remover will lift water based easily, just wipe the residue off with water straight after using the metho
Hello Nagendra Singh Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. We recommend using Methylated Spirits to remove this. If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006.
Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
someone had used the bench top as a cutting board, so I sanded the marks out, then thought about the recoating. It was a water-based stain and varnish originally and had clear varnish recoat over the years. Would I get away with a stain and varnish in the sanded areas followed by a clear varnish over the whole benchtop?
Hello MB1066 Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. It is a little tricky to assess this issue over this platform. When working with stains, patch repairing can be quite difficult as colour consistency is hard to get accurate. You are best off sanding back the entire benchtop and recoat the whole surface.
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006. Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards,
Stevie - Team Cabot's
I have a front door stained in Cabots Interior Stain. I would like to paint over that with an acrylic paint. Is that possible and what is the best option? I have noted that the exterior of the door has small blisters on it.
Hello Mike, Thank you for reaching out via Product Review with your inquiry. You can indeed paint your front door, but you will need to prepare the door before painting. The first thing you will need to do is lightly sand it back. Then dust down the surface and wipe over with Methylated Spirits, a clean cloth and leave to dry. You can then apply two coats of the Dulux PRECISION Stain & Mould Blocker – external link
You will need to sand lightly between the Precision coats when dry. Once the door is primed you can coat it with Dulux Aquanamel in the colour of your choice. external link
If you have any questions about this or any other future Cabot's projects, please feel free to give us a call on 1800 011 006. Our operating hours are Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm AEST.
For far more immediate professional woodcare advice, please join our Cabot's Project Assistant service via the Cabot's website 24/7 - external link
Kind Regards, Stevie - Team Cabot's
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