I have completed a small ( 11″ X 6″ X 6″) oak box (1/2 inch stock) as one of my first woodworking projects. I used a minwax sedona red stain and a wipe-on poly finish. I actually like the look and feel of the finish, but the color does nothing for me and I would like to darken it some without stripping and starting over. Can I mix a darker, deeper red color stain in with some more wipe-on poly and give it another coat to get a darker color? Or do you have any other suggestions?
Thanks for any help!
Frank
Replies
Hi Frank,
I am not an expert but I think once you put the finish over the stain you have to use glaze. I have not mastered glazing and the times I have tried it I have not been able to get the results I wanted.
You will probably get more help than I have offered. I will suggest that you get Bob Flexners book "Understanding Wood Finishes". It is a fast read and organized for reference as well.
Lynn Porter
Frank,
If the instructions on the can say that you can apply additional coats of the poly then you can apply more of the stained poly also. Wipe on finishes are fairly thin unless you apply a lot of coats so you aren't going to be able to add all that much additional color now that the wood is at least partially sealed.
To get the deepest color, you can apply the stain full strength and then apply the poly over it when the stain is dry. The safest approach is to try out a finish on some test boards before finishing the actual project.
John W.
I recently did just that - mixed a bit of stain into some wipeon poly to darken an oak piece. I was amazed and delighted with the result.
Make sure your stain and poly are both oil based , mix thoroughly and apply multiple THIN coats until you achieve the desired darkness. And of course try a test piece first , heh?
Yes,I made it. No,not hard. Yes, a long time.
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