Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 24, 2003 02:15am | #1

   What type of stain did you use?  If it's blotching, then you could try switching to a gel stain.  Chances are it won't blotch with that, but if it does, then you could go to a washcoat of shellac followed by a (possibly darker) stain.  The washcoat may cause a particular stain to be lighter upon application, hence going to a darker stain.

   Spraying application should work too, but am assuming that isn't an option?

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   davearnone | Jul 24, 2003 02:53am | #2

   i did not do the staining myself so i do not know what was used.  I expect spraying would be an option.  Any suggestions?

   What about dyeing rather than staining?

   thxdave

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 24, 2003 06:43am | #6

   This cabinetry finishing thread has gone a bit over my head, so I'll let the experts come in here and save the day.  The other resource that would be helpful for you is the forum at Jeff Jewitt's site, http://www.homesteadfinishing.com  If you still need more info after the Knotheads have replied, try Jeff's site.  He often answers questions personally there.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   franciek | Jul 24, 2003 03:04am | #3

   If I can ask a more specific question.... we are going to redo our kitchen and wanted maple cabinets, so there wouldn't be much grain. Our contractor is saying to keep them with the natural varnish and no stain.

   We wanted it a little darker. He is now warning us that maple does not always accept the stain, and sometimes is blotchy. Is that true?

   If so, they recommended birch. Do you have any insight in terms of how birch looks vs maple?

   thanks.fk

1. 
   Kevin | Jul 24, 2003 07:06am | #8

   If I might interject here...

   As I understand it, you want the Maple mainly because you like the muted woodgrain that Maple has, right? And your contractor is suggesting Birch as a darker alternative without having to resort to stain, right?

   What I can tell you is that the Baltic Birch (most likely what your contractor was referring to...) that I've worked with definitely has a more pronounced wood grain coloration than Maple does. Yellow Birch has a much less pronounced wood grain than the Baltic does. But, it is also quite a bit lighter and much less brown than Baltic Birch. Western Big Leaf Maple, by way of comparison, is browner and darker than Yellow Birch. Which brings me to another question. What kind of Maple are you referring to? If it's one of the very light eastern Maples than maybe finding some Big Leaf Maple cabinets or at least Big Leaf Maple doors would be the best solution for you?

   It is true that the well known eastern Maple doesn't stain well. It's very hard and that is perhaps the main reason why it doesn't stain well. There are softer Maples that accept stain better. They have an ever so slightly more pronounced wood grain. But, not nearly as much as Birch.

   Regards,

   Kevin

2. 
   EricGunnerson | Jul 24, 2003 06:01am | #4

   Our maple cabinets have a tinted polyurethane on them. It's not a lot of tint, and it doesn't enhance the grain, but it does take the maple from whitish more to a yellowish color. It's worked well for us.

3. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jul 24, 2003 06:12am | #5

   Dave - some stains do a good job on maple. Both the Woodsong II stains from M.L. Campbell or the Triclad stains from Wood Finishing Supplies work well. Penetrating stains and gel stains don't do a very good job.

   If you can spray dye, it will give you more control over the final color. First spray a light wet coat of dye, let it dry, then use the stain. Don't flood the wood with dye and don't wipe it. Spray just enough to wet the surface of the wood. If the coverage is not perfectly even, don't worry about it, the stain will even out the overall color.

   I did a maple bookcase using the dye and stain routine in a walnut color. Here's the before and after;

   View Image Maple Unfinished

   View Image Maple with "walnut" finish

   Using the right stain makes all the difference.

   Another option is to use a technique like the one Jeff Jewitt describes on his website - Early American Maple Finish.

   Paul

1. 
   Kevin | Jul 24, 2003 06:47am | #7

   If you can spray dye, it will give you more control over the final color. First spray a light wet coat of dye, let it dry, then use the stain. Don't flood the wood with dye and don't wipe it. Spray just enough to wet the surface of the wood. If the coverage is not perfectly even, don't worry about it, the stain will even out the overall color.

   Excellent summary, Paul. The only thing I'll add is that, depending on the desired color, it is often advantageous to spray on a wash sealer coat over the dye. I like to use a thinned vinyl sealer as a wash sealer, personally. The wash sealer helps control the penetration of the wipe stain and helps keep it even, in my experience. If a darker color is desired, though, I'd skip the wash sealer.

   I must say, though, that I've had very good luck using just dye followed by WoodSong II (great product BTW) wiping stain on Cherry without using any wash sealer at all. Maple blotches worse than Cherry, though. So, if it were me I'd use a wash sealer on Maple unless I were going for a darker color.

   Regards,

   Kevin

4. 
   TomT226 | Jul 24, 2003 01:50pm | #9

   Maple ply and solid maple accept stains differently. If you are considering frame and panel doors this is a consideration. If you are considering slab (euro type) doors, the banding will be the only solid material that would have a difference.

   Nitrocellulose lacquer gives maple ply a nice honey color and doesn't blotch like stain. The solid maple looks a little lighter. Water based lacquer such as Target PSL can be tinted to look almost like nitro lacquer, and is a tougher finish.

   Just finished a whole kitchen full of slab doors and drawers in maple ply, and it looks good.