Forum topic by Logan Craig | posted 01-13-2019 01:24 AM | 1815 views | 0 times favorited | 31 replies | ![]() |
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01-13-2019 01:24 AM |
Topic tags/keywords: varnish tint stain finish aniline dye I have an entertainment center project commission that I am having trouble staining. The customer is not happy with examples of how A-C pine plywood takes a stain due to the large contrast in lights to darks. Obvious advice like not having made it out of plywood or at least not spiral cut plywood aside, what would fellow lumberjocks recommend in a finishing procedure? I have been researching tinted varnish but have little experience on the subject. The customer wants something like a ‘dark walnut’ stain. I don’t particularly care what products are used, but typically use oil-based stain and poly. I also do not think he is very particular about grain definition. Thoughts and advice? I already tried to talk him into painting it :) Thanks, To clarify, I have not stained it yet, but he wasn’t happy with examples of stained scrap materials. -- Logan |
31 replies so far
#1 posted 01-13-2019 02:01 AM |
I’m hoping for an answer as well. I have never had any sort of stain or color look well on any pine ply because of the massive resinous areas vs the thirsty portions. Even with the “best” pine ply… It still looks like Crap. The only thing that has ever looked “ok” in my book with it is many coats of BLO. Ive even tried multiple coats of BLO before adding tint to the BLO and finishing – just turned the “acceptable” BLO finish into complete trash… -- I've quickly learned that being a woodworker isn't about making flawless work, rather it's fixing all the mistakes you made so that it appears flawless to others! Jay - FL |
#2 posted 01-13-2019 02:36 AM |
-- Desert_Woodworker |
#3 posted 01-13-2019 04:12 AM |
Have you tried a gel stain? They sit more on top of the wood than regular oil or water based stains and therefore may provide a more consistent color. I’d take my scraps and test different combinations, but you should be able to get something decent. -- Brian Famous :: Charlotte, NC :: http://www.FamousArtisan.com |
#4 posted 01-13-2019 04:29 AM |
Walnut veneer plywood will save you so much time and frustration it would be worth every penny and would look good when you done. I don’t understand why people buy the lightest colored woods when they want it dark. If this is a commission and you have to spend hours and hours trying get pine to look dark and good somebody is going to lose enough time or money to buy dark wood in the first place. Just MHO. It take experience and talent to turn a sows ear into a silk purse -- Alaskan's for Global warming! |
#5 posted 01-13-2019 04:33 AM |
Test on scraps and use blotch control first, best of luck. |
#6 posted 01-13-2019 04:36 AM |
May I add, ALDER… -- Desert_Woodworker |
#7 posted 01-13-2019 04:37 AM |
+1 -- Desert_Woodworker |
#8 posted 01-13-2019 04:40 AM |
I’ve use that product and it worked well for blotch but it makes it harder to get a dark color. -- Alaskan's for Global warming! |
#9 posted 01-13-2019 04:53 AM |
Desert_WoodWorker This is what Alder stained dark looks like if you don’t know what you are doing. -- Alaskan's for Global warming! |
#10 posted 01-13-2019 04:59 AM |
Thanks for the advice- -- Desert_Woodworker |
#11 posted 01-13-2019 05:11 AM |
I’m I missing something. How does that fit in with “The customer wants something like a ‘dark walnut’ stain.” -- Alaskan's for Global warming! |
#12 posted 01-14-2019 06:08 PM |
Agree on the walnut veneer. Otherwise if that’s not an option, 3 coats of GF Antique Walnut gel stain will make it look “decent”(assume using a conditioner). Make sure the 2nd coat dries a couple days, and use a very light coat for the 3rd and don’t wipe it off. Its kind of like limo tinting the plywood. |
#13 posted 01-14-2019 06:25 PM |
The only way to make pine plywood look good is to paint it. -- Bondo Gaposis |
#14 posted 01-14-2019 07:04 PM |
Zinsser makes a wood bleach product which takes the yellow/orange tint out of pine and afterward it takes the stain evenly. It’s more work but makes a nice finish. |
#15 posted 01-14-2019 07:22 PM |
Minwax has a conditioner for pine. It helps to keep from getting those dark splotchy areas. I have used it before and works. But test first. Pine is really hard to stain dark. Lighter stains work better. |
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