SonomaProducts.com wrote:

You talk about staining, then fingerprints and then clear coat
\varathane, so I am a little unclear of the question but here are some
tips.

1. Staining can quickly ruin the piece. I am not saying don't stain
it, I am saying it is real easy to do a bad stain job. Regardless of
what color stain you use you NEED to do a test first. Get the same
type of wood, sanded in the same manner. Hopefully you builder can
provide this. Find a stain that works as you like. Then also test the
top finish you will use (clear coat as you say).

2. Most stains will NOT stain near as dark as you expect if you are
unfamiliar with the process.

3. You can wipe the bare wood with mineral spirits to see if any glue
marks or fingerprints will be showing in the stain\final finish. They
will show up as dry spots or slightly differenyt color spots. Sand out
any problems. Note that sanding effects how the stain will adhere so
feather out the edges and try to use the same grit as the whole piece
was done with or do a quick onec oever. The spirits will dry in a few
minutes and not effect anything else you will do. It also has the
advantage of changing the color of the wood (while it is wet) to the
same color it would be if you just applied a clear coat type finish.

4. If you stain (add color) or not, yes you should add a clear coat.
This can be many different materials. Varathane is a form of
Polyurathane which is the most durable finish and probably what you
want to use, any polyurathane. The down side to ploy is lots of
volitile fumes and it drys very slow so it can attract dust and get
little "nibs" in the finish and can run making drips if applied to
heavy. You can use a wiping poly whic is super thinned and dry faster
and has less ability to catch dust but requires many coats to get a
build up. Or you can do a light sanding in between coats with 400 or
600 grit to remove nibs. Be careful on edges.

On Feb 2, 7:09 am, Evodawg wrote:
I have a pre built Oak Mantel to stain and install today. It has been
sanded by the builder. It has also been handled a few times to position
it and mark nailing supports. My big worry is oil from my hands and the
possibility of leaving finger prints on the finish and any other
processes you guys use to get a great look. Should it be sealed with a
clear coat or verathane?

Thanks for any advice
--
You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK !
Mandriva 2010 using KDE 4.3
Website: www.rentmyhusband.biz
Thanks to all that replied. I didn't stain or install the mantel today.
I'm going to spend some time sanding it tomorrow and stain it per the
recommendations made here. When I said Builder, I meant the builder of the
mantel. It was built by a cabinet shop and shipped to the customer. It
seems will sanded except I did notice the filled in nail holes are still
rough, so obviously he didn't do a final sanding which is probably
customary leaving that to the finisher. I'm thinking 220 would be ok???
and use a block sanding method? Not sure I want to run my pad sander on
this piece? Once sanded and cleaned then stain. Has anyone tried the spray
on clear coats? and what do you think on using them?

Thanks to all.
--
You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK !
Mandriva 2010 using KDE 4.3
Website: www.rentmyhusband.biz