I had a very fussy customer who wanted a dark stain and didn’t want to spend money, so i finished myself (to keep the cost down). These can really layer on some thick color layers while just barely allowing the grain to peek through. So I feel for your situation. What is meant by a “cut” of shellac? This site uses affiliate links. When I stained the third coat it is starting to appear quite “red”. Yes, I use behlen dyes exclusively. Thank you. Still he recommended alcohol; and by the time your finished, you could use a cold one:-D And no, they don’t dissolve with water contact. I am refinishing a antique wagon wheel bed era 1940-1950’s. Maple, like several others species such as walnut, American cherry, I’ve considered sanding the affected areas and then reapplying the stain to see if it would improve, but was wondering if this would only make matters worse. From there, I’d have to analyze the results. The filler will nearly always be more of an eyesore than the dent sans filler. Instead, try General Finishes Gel Stain (Java). Hi Alyssa. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bru...../202700081 If I stain the cabinet first and then fill with a putty stained to match, will the putty “stick” since the wipe on product has polyurethane in it? thanks, I have just begun staining our kitchen cabinets and have applied 2 coats of General Finishes Java so far. I am using a dewaxed shelac as a sanding sealer and this imparts a slightly amber tone to the wood and when I apply the col. maple gel stain I get an orange tone wood instead of the brown I would like. The company came a resprayed without sanding a few doors and they came out even worse. My preferred way to deal with this is to use Charles Neil’s blotch control. I had to go through some glue and self leveling compound, which is why I started so low. And even it it doesn’t fill it completely, I personally think a natural-looking dent is better than a perfectly flat filled surface. It does indeed dry clear but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bring a color hue with it. As I recommended above, you are gong to want to dilute to about 1/2-1lb cut. Sometimes it is necessary to use multiple products to nail and exact color. I have used this before on a different type of wood it was a perfect color! is that correct? So I would avoid sealing ahead of time. This is probably said thousands of times a day across the US during a site evaluation of a wood floor. Is it doomed to clash and look stupid? Just keep in mind that you might start to muddy up the grain a bit since there are several layers of color sitting on top of the wood. Help please. What about when dying curly maple? It was after this that I asked my “finish guy”. I did do test strips with both popped and not-popped and the difference was dramatic. Most others say that it’s stupid to try or ask why even do it. David, MasterCraft ( Menards) maple unfinished doors. then apply stain <—- I'm still confuse about these water,oil,gel based stain but I'm planning to use polyshade. Too late now…. Would you recommend filling it with wood filler – and again what brand? In my opinion, wood should be cherished for it’s natural variances and resulting beauty. Your email address will not be published. When it comes to hardwood flooring, you have a lot of … Walnut Stained Maple Hardwood Padded Kneeler with Shelf, 32 Inch Brand: Robert Smith. In another words step-by-step instructions to finish a large surface of raw maple flooring. Here goes: But they will obscure the grain more than a dye. As for whether you should request new doors? I decided to go against the online hardwood flooring forum hive mind and give it a shot. What should I do to prepare to get the tone I want to achieve? I would love the answer to Karen’s question as well. Hi there, We just installed a beautiful new set of stairs in our home. I am tempted to use the steel wool and then a thin coat of a dark brown stain to get it closer to the gunstock colour but would really like a second opinion?????? The wood is very uneven in color, and I want it to look like natural wood, but with an even color. You can narrate it. Went to Sherwin Williams and picked a stain of Fruitwood for a light finish. Hey Kevin. Therefore as you sand the wood out some black will stay and some will not,creating the “zebra” effect. I am building kitchen cabinets using maple plywood and soft maple lumber for the raised panel doors. If you want more protection and you don’t mind the wood yellowing to some extent, consider an oil-based poly. Pigments, like UTC pigments (from the paint store) are great and will change the color in a hurry. There is a split on one side that is about 1/8″ wide. Thank you. I’m down to the wood but wanting to match the colour on the banister, trim And pickets which are a golden honey colour. Hey Denny. Took a sample of the wood and they gave me a sample which looked good. My plan is to spray with an alcohol mixed dye. Can we fix it? I find the only sure-fire ways to fix it are to either sand everything back and start over, or to stain the entire cabinet the same shade as the dark areas (which is usually not an option). I have read above about using shellac as a sanding sealer before using gel stain, but I was concerned about the moisture tolerance since it was a bathroom. Homeowners are often suspicious when they hear this, since they’re offered countless options of stained maple cabinetry and prefinished wood flooring, This explains the yellows and oranges but doesn’t really explain the greenish brown. There used to be a product out there that would do this very thing. Hi Marc, I have worked all summer and ut to now on my entertainment center and I do not want to screw it up at the end. A board that has a nice, attractive grain pattern can end up with dark, splotchy areas after you apply the … Please help, Your email address will not be published. . It did not. The SW recommendation is not bad for a wood that isn’t prone to blotch. Water-based isn’t the easiest stuff to work with so there will be a learning curve. And if you are using a stain, I think you’re fine mixing birch and maple. If you’re looking for a single can solution, you might have trouble getting the exact look you want. Maple is a … I work for a premier guitar company and have stained my fair share of maple! The important thing is that its a gel formula. However I will try it again with the shellac as I applied it over Minwax wood conditioner last time. to match have sought out the products they needed to achieve the results their customers have demanded. Any advice? There aren’t many stains that produce that chocolatey color but this is one of the best. Not only was there extreme blotching, but the uneven hold was nearly universal, pooling also occurred. Kathy i am too now trying to go dark! You might be better off talking to a flooring expert. Uhg. I like the grain subtle… And that being said, maple is affordable and plentiful in my area. Are we crazy? I need some direction for what type of color might be used and I would like to use the gel stain as there are lots of spindels and such. You also might consider using a chemical stripper just to make sure you get all that finish off the surface. If at all possible, you should leave maple in its natural state unless it was pre-finished or pre-stained by the manufacturer. Staining Hardwood Maple Floors Discovering the secret to successfully staining maple floors Hard maple floors offer a nice, light, bright look to a room, and are often paired with matching cabinetry … Do you think I made a major error in this mix of wood? Something that dries quickly, doesn’t absorb too deep, and potentially obscures the grain a bit. My Mom suggested a conditioner do I just finished applying that the night before last and it helped a lot on one door. Will the wood eventually, after say so many coats start to darken or is that attempt completely futile? Then I would follow up with the gel stain to get the wood close to where I want it to be. I have never stained maple before and am a bit confused on exactly what steps to follow. Hi Ray. is that true? For example, if you take a highly figured piece of curly maple and stain it black with the appropriate dye(note: alcohol, water based, stains and leather dyes, yes, leather dyes) then evenly sand it out, it will take on the appearance of a zebra. ), and I’ve had problems. finish started peeling immediately, before the job was finished. Maple boards can look beautiful except for that one stinkin’ area where the grain does something funky. Is there a method that you use to obtain a brown tone finish instead of the orange one I am getting. To some extent, yes, it could lessen the visual impact of the curl. I have a HVLP gun to spray it. If I used the colonial maple and then for my second coat the praire wheat, on samples of course. It might help mask the blotch. Yeah most times when a stain doesn’t take, it comes down to improper preparation or something in the wood itself that doesn’t allow the stain to penetrate. The goal was to keep them the original white/natural color or as close to that as possible – certainly not orange-brown. The gel stain however, went on much more evenly, and I found it to be very forgiving. His only suggestion is to add a third coat of the white stain but I’m concerned that this will give the floor more of an opaque, painted look without solving the issue. A good cry is healthy once in a while. There are a few exceptions: water-based finishes and CAB Acrylic Lacquer. It took care of the blotching problem. He also said water based stains work well but then you will have to pre-raise the grain. Just a clear protective film and nothing more. These finishes are what they call “water white” meaning they don’t add the same amber and yellow tones we see from oil-based finishes and traditional lacquers. From what I have been reading on this website, I think the solution to staining my birch/ poplar cabinet in a dark walnut color is to spray a fast drying dye on it. Can anyone tell me how to go about in staining this door. The solid maple wood is durable and easy to care for, and the rich dark color complements any church dcor. If you can’t get practice boards, try starting on the insides of the doors where mistakes won’t be as noticeable. Can you recommend a brand of stripper that will cut through this seemingly rock hard finish? Have fun with woodworking. I do not no for sure about alcohol. So there are so many ways you can take this. Would you recommend a gel stain or an alcohol based one? Good luck. Gel stains don’t rely so much on absorption to work properly. But a ding in the middle of a panel is quite a challenge. The once white countertops are now very random shades ranging from close to white thru orange all the way down to a greenish brown. Hey Melissa. How can I get maple to take stain better? Any suggestions ? About a year later a whitish grayish resiny blotchy thing started occurring on every one (floor to ceiling) entire length of the room. The Wood Whisperer is proudly sponsored by brands that Marc trusts. When applying a stain, be sure to use a pre-stain conditioner to try and even out the "blotchy" … Will pre-sealing with shellac close up the end grain (the “curl”) and hide it? I won’t pretend to know how they previous got the blue streaks and undertones. My suggestion would be to hold the contractor responsible until the stairs are up to your standard. It means a lot. What can I do now, after applying that first coat (used sponge brush and wiped it off) to get rid of this blotchy look? Unfortunately, attempts then apply polyurethane for the final coat <—– also confuse which polyurethane should I use. Hopefully the grain will swell enough to raise the dent. It doesn’t matter whether you are flusing a dye or a stain, maple woods need to be pre sealed before applying. Thank you. My suggestion would be to stop using the Minwax stain. Hard maple is an extremely dense, tight-pored wood that does not absorb any stains. then some sanding and recoating, tthen sand again. Another stain? Should I just give it a light sanding and then use a gel stain on top to achieve the darker desired colour? Didn’t realize maple was a problem until we started staining. If you dropped this project off in my shop, the first thing I’d do is run a bunch of tests in hopes of finding the best combo. Hey Marc, sorry about that. On three different occasions, the cabinet company removed the cabinets to refinish those that were peeling. After reading several of your posts and other website’s comments I am thinking this is not what I should do. What can we do? I need my bathroom back!!! Still working on the details of the new shop. I have a cherry color from Mini-Wax that I have put on maple scraps and I like it. Would applying a sealer first give it some color. However if you’re doing an outdoors project these products are not ideal due to their weakness to UV rays which will result in fading of the colors. This means that maple flooring is quite hard, less prone to dents and … Then over top of that we installed beautiful white maple butcherblock countertops. Yeah, I know, a highly figured piece of figured maple is hard to come by, but be selective when choosing wood for your project. I hope it works as I am nickel and diming myself to death on stain. I was mistaken on the color my wife actually prefers the red undertone. Trying to come up with a game plan. I have deduced that the grain is tighter than other woods, and that instant color grabbing was not going to happen and by letting it sit, the pigment was allowed to seep in. Please click here to learn more. It currently has a warm medium finish on it and I’m hoping to stain it to a darker warm colour to match our dining set. I think the raised grain helped the wood grab onto more pigment (especially given my choice in stain which I’ll get to). Oh and keep in mind you might just be able to use a water-based dye to the same end. which one should I use? I am staining birch plywood and Poplar hardwood in the same cabinet. On maple, some people like the natural blonde/white color and want to maintain it. Long story short, I’m left with cabinets that look as if someone did a horrible job of trying to distress them, not the look I want. Simply put maple is not a hardwood flooring wood that should be stained. Im well aware of the density of wood and blochiness it could create.