messed up project.. do I need to remove minwax stain?

15 years ago

I need some advice.

I had some oak pieces which are stain grade but a couple of boards are just veneer over particle board, and they are thin.

I used minwax oil based stain on it, on the first coat it was really light, the second coat didn't get even coverage, the solid oak pieces took the stain quite lightly and the veneer took it very dark because it penetrated through the thin veneer I guess. Still it was uneven over the same piece. But the end result was that I ended up going over the pieces a 3rd time used the stain similar to a glaze. The result is great and dark looking stain that looked like furniture makers use.

It has been two days and still slightly tacky. I took a test piece and let it sit in my car under the sun for a few hours now, and it's still not hardened at all and my finger nail can scrape it out. Can you guys tell me should I wait alot longer and proceed with clear coat or would I have to strip it out and start over again? Color-wise it worked -- I was very desparate since I was not getting an acceptable finish by the second coat.

If I choose to strip it beside mineral spirits what can I use? I definitely don't want to much liquid to soak the particular board pieces too much as they might warp. I heard minwax furniture refinisher plus scrotch brite might give a controlled way to remove the stain. Either way I would still have some uneven pieces that needs to be redone with a dark stain again, it's a big problem. I cannot just throw out a project and buy new pieces either, it's a mantel kit that costed me hundreds of dollars..

2 years ago I did some door thresholds with minwax stain this way, I remember it was slightly tacky but what the heck for a $10 project, I brushed on the clear coat (polyurethane), the poly got tinted a bit, but it dried to a nice hard finish after fully curied, chemically the top coat added strength to the stain coat just fine.

Also I have found out minwax's recent years' formulation takes a long time to dry to be compliant with VOCs and EPA rules?

I guess I am trying to convince myself to let it dry more and clear coat it and hope for the best. I can rub down the stain a bit so it is thinner and dry better too.

If I am keeping the stain, I am planning either to use a sanding sealer spray, or spray can of the poly or varnish to do the first coat to "seal in" the stain. Perhaps this surface that doesn't want to dry will dry better with a "fast drying" poly. I am out of ideas and maybe luck, I have read a few cases similar to mine but I am not sure what people ended up doing. I am going to try it out on my test piece and see if it sets up to a single fim finish

I would like to hear from the experienced users. Thanks!!

Featured Answer

brickeyee

12 years ago

"the solid oak pieces took the stain quite lightly and the veneer took it very dark because it penetrated through the thin veneer I guess."

The processing used to soften the wood before cutting it into veneer alters how it absorbs material.

The wood is normally soaked in water to make it more flexible and easier to cut into veneer slices without cracking during the cutting and handling.

It is then dried out while held flat.

This process effects how both pigment stains and even dies are then absorbed into the veneer.

To get veneer to match solid wood different stains are often required.

This is one of the downsides of combining solid wood and veneer in the same project.
It can be made to work by making the difference in color part of the design, or by using different color for the different sections.

Comments (6)

sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
Hi,
even the old minwax formulas were slow drying after multiple heavy coats. I'd be worried if you sprayed on a finish that had the same solvent in it (like traditional poly or lacquer) you could float all of the uncured stain into the clearcoat. Which could look bad. A blocking coat of shellac sealer would allow you to proceed safely with no risk of loosening the stain. I add japan dryer to stain if I think that drying within my timeframe is in question.
Some people open the pores of oak plywood with a spray of water before staining. Too much water can also be a problem. It's a known issue, matching veneer and solids. Oak is about the worst. Mahogany about the best.
Casey
PoorOwner
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your reply, so at least I know it should dry somewhat, we had a hot day and the finish felt a bit better, I used 400 wet sand paper on a block of wood followed by 000 synthetic steel wool, to rub down the stain a bit so it is not as thick, and hopefully cure better.. adding some water too I have alot of control. It brought back some of the grain details in areas that are too thick.

At this point I am going to continue with the finishing without stripping. The pillar is the solid oak, it has not been rubbed yet but but it might become too light if I do.

With this minwax stain, there was just no way I could achieve this level of color without glazing and dry brushing, at least on oak. I wish I researched more and used a more professional stain product that gives less headache, the repeated coats really left alot of bubbles and particles.. hopefully the layers of clear coat will embed and give a flat surface and hide the imperfections a bit.

Note this is the english chestnut color and I had originally not planned to go this dark but the uneven tone of the stain kind of lead me to this.

I am going to use a spray can sanding sealer that dries in 15-30 minutes it should not be enough time interact with the finish, especially if I left the stain cure for longer.
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PoorOwner
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi you mentioned Shellac so I looked it up,

I was wondering if I use Zinnser "seal coat" which is a dewaxed Shellac instead of sanding sealer that is petrolium / xylene based, am I on a much safer route as to prvent the poly reacting with the stain?
sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
That would be the stuff...

Casey
marve_live_org
12 years ago
if you fart into the stain it should retain that beefy smell