I was varnishing over the weekend and firstly I varnished architrave(SP), door and skirting, all with the same varnish, but now there dry they all look slightly different, is this because I maybe applied the varnish thicker on say the door compared to the skirting. Or is it down to then all being different wood, i.e door is classed as knotty pine, but architrave is plain?

Also why do I see brush strokes?

Thanks anyone.

It may be down to the preparation of the wood, were both new pine or is the door pine and the skirting something else. Brush marks, there are special brushes for applying varnish, did you use one or just a normal paint brush and did you rub down between coats.

I rubbed between coats.

Used Harris brush, uncle said they are good brushes.

The skirting and Architrave are from a different timbershop to the doors, so maybe it could be this?

Thanks for your reply.

Varnish brushes have longer bristles than the normal paintbrush and they must be pure bristle and not synthetic. Have found that you need to use a thin coat to start with, as a primer, and then up to 6 coats to get a good hard mirror finish. Some woods do have a sort of hairy finish and that need more rubbing down and coats to get a good looking finish. Too late now by it is much easier to use a brushing wax,

Thanks.

Next time I varnish, I'll see if I can find a better brush.

I have found that varnished pine darkens in time so within a couple of months they will probably all be the same tone. I varnished my skirting not long back and had the same trouble with colour differences but now you can't tell the difference at all.