Keep the Patina

The saloon doors that lead into the sunroom are quite old and they have a beautiful patina to them. They show their age, and we like that about them.

I don't want to strip them down to bare wood and lose all of that beautiful patina, but they are a little grimy and washed out. Instead of stripping and sanding I'm going to brush on a thin coat of Gel Stain after cleaning them really good. I want the patina to show through and I think this is the best way to do it. 

I'm using MinWax Cherrywood Gel stain and a soft bristle brush. I'm brushing it in really good creating a glaze. In the pic above you can see the center part of the door is not yet glazed.

I'll give the stain 24 hours to dry and then give it a matte clear coat finish.

The original patina still shows through, but the color is more saturated. They look finished, yet still show their age.