|
| Hi. I am usually on the garden side of things but was delighted to see this forum too!
Ok, here's the situation..
It had been painted. I stripped it to within an inch of it's life, and got it down to the bare wood with no damage/knife marks etc. (My toothbrush method is awesome). I wanted to stain it cherry or mahagony, and got going on that, but the worst of my fears was realized. The dresser appears to be constructed of several different kinds of wood which all take the stain differently, some parts barely take the color, others parts take deep color wherever the sanding left a little roughness. I'm guessing this baby was never meant to be anything other than painted with paint. -Or what we call "paint grade" wood. Ok, but I am not a big fan of painted wood furniture.
I did pull out a small can of the dreaded "polyshades" (Bombay mahogany), and believe this will leave a wood stain "like" color evenly on the wood, especially if I do a few coats. I would 00000 steel wool it at the end so it wasn't excessivly shiny. Anyone have advice for me? If it's bad news or advice that I am wasting my time,.... bring it on, I can take it. Thanks so much!
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| You could check out the faux finishing technique of 'graining'. You apply paint with combs, brushes and rollers in such a way that it looks like wood grain. |
|
| How old is the piece? Could it be a piece of antique "cottage furniture"...or perhaps you have not stripped it as well as it should be. Can you post a picture? Linda C |
|
| I am guessing this piece is from the forties or fifties. It looks like it was originally painted a cream color with gold (metallic) details. It was also sprayed, not brush painted. I am just not a big fan of painted furniture. So, here's what I've done. It's completely stripped. Steel wool the hell out of it between coats. After the last coat I will sand it with 220, It's still not too late to talk me out of it. I have only done 1 drawer. |
|
| Even if the piece was made entirely out of maple, different maple boards will take stain differently than others, resulting in the problem you were having. In order to even out the stain, a lot of woodworkers/refinishers will first give the piece a "spit coat" of shellac, which seals the wood and allows for an even color of stain. If you want it to look dark and even, I would probably use a gel stain (Varathane makes a decent gel stain), or else you can just keep brushing on your oil stain like paint and let it dry until it is as dark as you want it. I've used polyshades before, and can't say that I'm a fan. You're more likely to go nuts before you get a decent finish. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Woodworking Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.