I am currently finishing a sofa table. The top is 20 inches by 66 inches. It’s curly maple and came out pretty good as far as the constructin goes. However for the finish, I applied a preconditioner (water based), lightly sanded, and applied a black cherry stain (water based). The result is uneven and blotchy. How can I get this back to an acceptable condition? Can I sand it down? Or strip the whole thing? BTW – after the top, I stained the legs in the same way, but wiped off the stain quicker and always went with the grain. I came out pretty good. The legs are soft maple.
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hwheaton,
With curly maple there are inherent light dark patches. This is the beauty of the wood. The softer part will absorb more color than the dense area. Even with your wood conditioner the soft area will be darker. You can lightly sand the surface to soften the dark patches, but they will remain visible. If you want them to be less discernible, sand the surface well, seal it completely and then if you want more color, add a glaze over the sealer. This is the only way to minimize the light dark look you are describing
Peter Gedrys.
Thanks, I'll give it a try. I guess I'm not used to this wood. It's the first time I have used curly maple.
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