I am embarking on making kitchen cabinets that will be light in color. I am looking at hard maple. I would like to stain it but on the light side. In the past I have had trouble staining maple because it blotches and does not absorb stain well. What should I use or should I change species?
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Assuming you don't have spray equipment, I'd use a water soluble powdered aniline dye--TransFast or Lockwood for example. Prepare test boards in the same way as the maple and adjust the concentration of the dye mix until you get the desired color after you have applied a top coat. Then apply the dye generously--a sponge works well.
With spray equip you want to seal, and for your light maple spray a toned finish. Make the toner very light so it takes several coats to sneak up to the desired shade.
Will I get the same results using a dye with denatured alcohol or does it have to be water based? Thank you for your reply. I will give the dye a try.
Dye
Stay with the water dye -
SA
Alcohol based dye dries too quickly to apply by hand. If you overlap a portion that has already dried you will get a dark streak.
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