Now if that stain still isnt dark enough, then you might want to move to a darker gel stain. The combination took the espresso stain evenly and produced the desired affect, a nice even dark color with some grain showing. But you will have to use a sealer if you want some sort of uniform finish on maple. This was my first order from you and the sizes and overall quality are much better than my prior supplier. I don’t want each of these areas to stand out, and I want a more uniform color. We used minwax gunstock stain and got a blotchy orange floor. Maple is a difficult wood on which to achieve uniform stain, and the appearance can look as if the stain was not applied evenly. The important thing is that its a gel formula. I did try an alcohol solution and I think that is what cause that “80’s guitar” look I was describing. Common examples include pine, fir and spruce or maple, alder and aspen (porous). Make sure you are sanding consistently and if you can, use a random orbit sander. * Water popped the wood to raise the grain. thanks so much! However, from time to time, you may want to change the color of the paint or stain on items made of maple, and you'll need to know how to properly do it in order to achieve the best result. Came across your marvelous site in a desperate internet search for information about staining maple wood floors white…realize your expertise is with furniture but curious if you have any thoughts on this one: You can do many variations of this mix to get the result your looking for. Is their an easy way to remove stain from a maple floor? What can we do? Just a standard darker color like cherry or something similar. But you might try the Prarie Wheat color as that seems to have a little more orange in it. In this article, we’ll show you how. Did something similar with maple, but used a diluted brown transtint dye in water prior to the shellac. Your detailed instructions would be greatly appreciated. (When we removed a built in bookcase, it was clear that the floor had been stained a warm, golden honey color before it was white.) Some types of wood, like pine, cherry, birch and maple, are notoriously difficult to stain. The environmentally-friendly stuff is a little safer and easier to work with, but might not work as well. Hey Denny. So there are so many ways you can take this. So if the piece is sanded to 180, you should sand the endgrain to 220 or 320. #15 posted 10-20-2010 05:36 PM Just my two cents. From shop TwoMooseDesign. Keep in mind you can layer colors too. First, after having three coats (the third curing as I type) of the stain currently on, is there any way to remove them or simply cover them, the scratches? The only thing I would add to the above is about the min-wax stain conditioner. After reading several of your posts and other website’s comments I am thinking this is not what I should do. I need some direction for what type of color might be used and I would like to use the gel stain as there are lots of spindels and such. Madge S. My order of cabinet doors was delivered today, and I could not be more pleased. Alex D. Very nice cabinet doors, the color matching and the sizes are right-on. Cope and Stick French 4-Lite cabinet doors, Cope and Stick French 6-Lite cabinet doors, How-to videos...everything about cabinet doors, Tip Number 1, Do not stain! Good for toning uneven color also. #3 posted 10-07-2010 04:22 AM Why would you use maple if you want a dark finished product? I just need a mix recipe to do this right. And no, they don’t dissolve with water contact. Three coats then a sealer. I work for a premier guitar company and have stained my fair share of maple! This site is so informative and Marc is so generous with his knowledge and time answering all of our questions that by reading his feedback, you can really get a grip on the principles and possibly develop your own method or modify an old one. Took a sample of the wood and they gave me a sample which looked good. Tone Please Help! Trying to come up with a game plan. Comments: In tree form, hard maple is usually referred to as sugar maple, and is the tree most often tapped for maple syrup. I’ve only just discovered your site days ago and I am thankful to see a guy speak intelligently on the subject of woodworking and finishing, not just someone breathing in a microphone while trying to think of what he’s going to talk about. I have maple cabinets they were stained but was not aware that veneers were use to apply the stain and the veneers are coming loose can the veneers be re glue or can I remove the veneers and paint them instead. When sanding down through one of my test boards, you could see the dye in the grain move through the wood the deeper you sand. So while applying brown mahogany will give you a deeper reddish color, it probably won’t lighten the overall look. I don’t use these so I can’t make a specific recommendation but those are the keywords that should get you started in your search. Hi Susan. Atomjack, I really did not plan on staining this piece dark to start with. I was mistaken on the color my wife actually prefers the red undertone. I have maple cabinet ,having hard time getting dark cherry stain.can you pls. 5 out of 5 stars (720) 720 reviews. These can really layer on some thick color layers while just barely allowing the grain to peek through. I noticed at the end of the video you use the gel stain over the Minwax. and i’ve never tried dyes at all, don’t even know where to get them. Currently doing glue up on a maple bed frame. Oh and keep in mind you might just be able to use a water-based dye to the same end. I need all the help I can get. I might try a slightly different order. Can anyone tell me how to go about in staining this door. Well once again I try not to claim anything is the “best”. Designed and developed by Underscorefunk Design. Kathy i am too now trying to go dark! I am sure that with all I have learned on your site, my project will be spectacular! If you screen before staining, be aware that the screen marks will show in any dark stain color. Honey S-2. It tend to absorb stain unevenly which leads to a blotchy look. What I really want to do is apply a stain, dye or solution that I can put in my HVLP and spray the entire cabinet without wiping and giving me an even color. On three different occasions, the cabinet company removed the cabinets to refinish those that were peeling. I would fill the dent first, sand flush, then hit the surface with your conditioner followed by the stain. Do you think I made a major error in this mix of wood? Finishing Maple. That way you don’t have to buy a bunch of cans of stain you’ll never use. I will definitely give it another go. Three months ago my brother installed new maple pantry doors with glas in my kitchen. Here goes: So at this stage, its probably worth a shot to try it before stripping the whole thing down again. The process highlights the grain pattern and helps to eliminate blotchiness. Some types of wood, like pine, cherry, birch and maple, are notoriously difficult to stain. It is also a very dark brown. so, i did a carving with maple, and usually when i carve i use a danish oil stain kind of thing for my stuff, but seems the grain is too tight to allow any stain to be absorbed into the maple. Sanding the wood to 600 grit exacerbated the problem by burnishing the surface of the wood; rendering it even less able to absorb the stain than if you had stopped sanding at 180 or 220 grit. #11 posted 10-15-2010 09:03 PM I am sure by now you have decided on a process, but I thought I would throw this out. I have worked all summer and ut to now on my entertainment center and I do not want to screw it up at the end. Please help me – these stairs are the focal point in my house and they look terrible. A good sanding sealer was applied, and then the stain. This is because wood density and porosity varies, causing some areas to absorb a lot of stain, with other areas absorbing very little. You can get around that by water-popping hard maple before staining, or using a spray stain. The milling was of the highest quality. :) I don’t think you’ll find a closer match than maple. Just finished hanging my new Shaker Doors and I had to let you know that you have done an excellent job. Unfortunately, there is no “easy” way that I know of. Am I dreaming? If you take a piece of maple and a piece of oak, sand them to the same degree of smoothness, and then apply the same stain to both pieces, they will look significantly different. In my opinion, wood should be cherished for it’s natural variances and resulting beauty. While some finishing can be easily accomplished, I don’t know that I’d say finishing a set of maple stairs is really a DIY level job. I want the end product to be a light gray color. There is really no comparison, you make a GREAT product. Video: How to Stain … Or did I go wrong and not order Cherry wood. The wood is maple and I have sanded it down. It is not perfect, but It will get closer to a piano finish given time. Some blotching may occur when staining, but a more even color is achievable by using a pre-conditioner, gel stain, or toner prior to staining. I have used it but not with astonishing success. Hello Marci Joy. You saved us over 35%. So if the crack turns out a little bit darker, it tends to look like a natural grain line. I did do test strips with both popped and not-popped and the difference was dramatic. This wood type is highly versatile depending on the style you are trying to achieve. Folks looking for something truly uniform should check out our friends plastic, metal, and glass. I just wanted to thank you for all the info. Rob Johnstone: Staining maple to a dark hue, which is very dense and quite light in color, with an oil based or gel-style product is hard work … and in my opinion, not a good idea. Understand that staining–without blotches–is difficult. I’ve got plenty of scraps to work with, and I’ll get started on Monday, but I’ll see what you folks say about it. I’ve tried Cabot Ebony, Minwax Ebony, Miwax Dark Walnut Gel Stain, sanded from all ranges from 120 to 220, sealed with Minwax wood conditioner or just strait to the wood but I cannot just get a nice smooth dark color. You might want to try a couple of colors of gel stain to see if you like the way it applies. Hard Maple Stains. Kirk A. I could not be more impressed with the cabinet doors I just received. Unfortunately that’s not much info to go on. The spirits wipe also will work with the Zinsser, (overnight dry not needed) altho I have not tried the cutting the 2# mix to 1#, which I will in the future. Any help would be greatly appreciated. There certainly may be other finisher tricks that some pros in the industry but from my experience, the best solutions are the two suggestions above. We offer the Industry-Leading Soft Closing hinge from Blum. Maple lumber can display convoluted grain patterns and differences in texture as well as a smooth, almost featureless grain. If one has more scraps and time to experiment, it may be that some dye could be added to the thinned shellac that would enrich the final look when the stain is applied. Hard Maple. Video: How to Stain Wood Evenly I wish that I had read your web site a couple of weeks ago. And you may never get perfect results. #13 posted 10-20-2010 03:26 AM I did a recent project out of maple ply and had no problem with any blotching on the plywood (the solid hard maple is another story for a different time). Other widths are available. They even highlight the sanding scratches. Maybe I just didn’t wipe it enough at the end of the second coat. It is my only project posted on here but you cant really see the plywood. So if the Candlelight is too red, you can always follow up with a coat of java to darken it up. A tricky wood to stain knotted pine Table it literally looked like a reasonable schedule! Just apply it like your website with down to the dilution an oil-based would! With dark, splotchy areas after you apply the stain is easy prevent. That said, if you have any last minute changes to my woes of colors gel! 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