Replies

1. 
   Senomozi | Dec 01, 2007 12:19am | #1

   Hello merlvern,

   It looks like a commercially-made piece of furniture so I highly doubt they use gel stain or any other product you apply by hand.  I know NGRs (non-grain-raising stain, alcohol based) are used in the industry.  Perhaps that's what they sprayed on.  Then perhaps they used a toning method (tinted varnish or lacquer).

   Whenever I need to do a piece that is really dark, I always use a dark aniline dye as the first coat because is tends to color the wood evenly.  Then I follow up with gel stain then clear finish.

   Regards,

   Senomozi

    

2. 
   jackplane | Dec 01, 2007 02:32am | #2

   can't say fer sure from that photo...

   might use an ebony stain, 2 coats, then clearcoat with your choice of finish...

   Expert since 10 am.

3. 
   woodshaves | Dec 01, 2007 02:40am | #3

   A solution is to take a drawer to a paint store and let them match the color to a latex paint. The base used can be satin to give you the match on shine (or lack of it) you like. The colored paint may be coated with clear varnish (oil or acrylic), shellac, lacquer, and then rub to the desired shine. You will not see the wood grain this way, but it's a color match if needed.

   
   

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   Edited 11/30/2007 6:42 pm ET by woodshaves

4. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 01, 2007 04:05am | #4

   I've just been working on a vanity in this vein, an almost opaque very dark brown finish, sometimes called something like expresso.  I used maple, but poplar would work just fine.  The only way to get that degree of darkness is to start with a dye in a very concentrated mix.  It can be a dark brown (I used a dye labeled "Walnut" which if mixed at normal concentration would have had significant orange undertones often found in walnut with a little age.  Brown mahohany dye would also work and give a little bit extra red in the coloration.  I like powdered water mixed aniline dye for this--TransFast or Lockwood dyes work. 

   Then, to get the really dark look I used a dark gel stain to add pigment.  Since even over the dye, pigment stain can be a bit blotchy on maple or poplar, I applied a coat of 2 lb. cut shellac to the dye before going to the pigment stain.  (I used Seal Coat.)  I lightly sanded this shellac with 320 grit, which makes taking care of the grain raised by the dye fairly easy to do without sanding through the dye.  

   Then I used a very dark gel stain, in this case Bartley's Jet Mahogany.   If you tried to use this directly on the wood you would see a cordovan color, but over the dye it becomes almost black but lets a small degree of the wood shine through as brown.

   I will be top coating this with a number of coats of Waterlox Original/Sealer since this will be a bath vanity, and needs to resist more cleaners than livingroom furniture.  The Original/Sealer  will probably a bit glossier than I will like, so I expect to then apply about 2 coats of the Waterlox Satin to bring down the sheen.  (Two coats ensures a more even sheen with a wipe on varnish.) 

1. 
   merlvern | Dec 02, 2007 05:49pm | #5

   thanks everyone,
   now i'm going to start testing!i appreciate all the input.john