Just my two cents. A deep, rich wood stain color plus a white paint over the top will look weathered after distressing. If you are out of time on the project then you will have to use a tinted shellac/glaze method that will obscure the grain. The reason to choose maple and stain it dark is that it is a wood that is relatively cheap with nice tight grain features that can be made to look like a variety of woods. It totally eliminates the blotchyness and makes the color very even. Moisten maple with damp cloth, you are only looking to raise the grain not force enough water in to warp the wood, 2. I used two coats to really enhance the… I vote for Zinsser over Minwax. Varathane 304559 Wood Stain, Carbon Gray, … Here is an internet post about problems staining maple and 15 suggestions from readers…. I had laid it on quit thich and when got back to it I had a heck of a time gettting the stuff off, the stuff where I put too heavy a coat on. It is my only project posted on here but you cant really see the plywood. I thought about some sort of clear coat but my wife changed her mind and thought it would better match our den with a darker color. It was already stained but has some bad spots. Varathane … Varathane 1 qt. Gray stained floors tend to turn out best on white oak flooring. There are a few things you can do to even things out in the future. This week the question comes from Robert. It almost sounds like you have discovered the difficulties be staining it already. Whether you're a furniture maker, a professional contractor or a DIYer, Varathane makes wood repair and finishing as … This fabulous wooden planter … The General Finish products seem to work the best for me but I have used other brands with good results too. Top coat with your preferred finish. Superior coverage of 275 Sq. The advice has been very helpful. The stain did not take well on wood milled with the grain, and on cross cuts the stain soaked into the wood giving a dark black color. Try some dyes instead, like TransTint, a concentrated dye that you mix with water. Pine and birch … Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019. You can also use a light coat of shellac or any sealer to the same end. I was thinking the antique walnut but I want a dark color but not so dark it looks black! We provide the high quality unfinished maple cabinet doors for your … Brush this solution onto the endgrain and give it several hours to dry. Varathane Wood Stain takes the waiting out of staining. Gofor, exactly, technically we should be using flakes, but having dewaxed #2 that can be cut to #1 and sit on the shelf about a year is too convienent. Varathane Fast Dry completes projects quickly with a 1 coat formula that dries in 1 hour. Staining tight-grained woods like Hard Maple is a problem for finishers. He writes: Hey Robert. For DIY homeowners the best advice is to avoid staining Maple, Birch, and Cherry. You are looking to create a smooth finish by applying full strength tinted shellac and glaze coat. You might want to try a couple of colors of gel stain to see if you like the way it applies. I use dye stains from Mohawk or Behlen or M L Campbell has stains that will wipe and or spray well. 52. “I really need some advice on staining maple. Carbon Gray Premium Fast Dry Interior Wood Stain provides high quality color in 1 coat to enhance the natural beauty of interior wood surfaces. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. It’s a nice natural … Not impossible, just difficult. Stain Application: after 15 minutes, but no more than 2 hours, Cleanup: mineral spirits or paint thinner, following manufacturers safety instructions, Coats: normally 1, but additional coats may be applied on highly absorbent woods, Recommended uses: any soft or porous woods. 6. Superior wood stain saves time, energy and provides a great value. Let me know if you have a suggestion. I, however, favor gel stains for these types of hard to stain woods especially if trying for a dark color. And remember to always test on scrap or inconspicuous areas to ensure you get the look you are after. Varathane ® Ultimate Wood Stain is a premium, high performance stain system enhanced with Nano pigments and soy oil base for exceptional colour clarity. — https://www.peteroxley.com — https://north40studios.etsy.com —, A good article on how to Avoid Color Mistakes and Learn How to Fix a Blotchy Stain…. Do you have a recommendation for which general finish gel stain to use. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Bring out the beauty of natural wood—lightning fast—with Rust-Oleum® Varathane® Fast Dry Wood Stain. For the solid wood parts an alternative is to sand, but on ply parts you will have to be careful. Please note, it is very caustic, will cause a first degree chemical burn if applied to skin. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. Classic Gray tends to be slightly blotchy so make sure to use pre-conditioner with this stain color. The embedded glue will prevent excessive stain absorption. It was an improvement over not using it. Why would you use maple if you want a dark finished product? Ft. per quart on a variety of interior wood surfaces including furniture, cabinets, doors, trim, floors and more. How do we prevent the cross cut problem and promote a uniform acceptance of the stain. From preparation, to number of coats needed, to the dry time required, it’s the fastest stain on the market. If the stain will not penetrate, use a higher grit sandpaper with a block and with the grain. The Do’s and Dont’s of Staining Maple Cabinet Doors, What you need to know before ordering replacement cabinet doors, Tips on Staining Maple, Pine, Alder, and Cherry, how to Avoid Color Mistakes and Learn How to Fix a Blotchy Stain. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. Get it ... Half Pint, Honey Maple… I had no blotching what so ever on the plywood using this method though and the grain pattern shows pretty well also. Then apply a coat of Gel stain to get the color and tone you want. Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2020, this made the wood BROWN - did NOT match the honey color I already had and needed it to match, Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2020. 4.4 out of 5 stars 102. Uneven staining can be a real pain. 0 Reviews. Classic Grey Stain by Minwax was one of my favorite gray stains that I tested. I actually used this to stain outdoor concrete and it has been a month and it last oks great. I used minwax pre stain conditioner with minwax red mahogany oil based stain. Upon applicaton of the second coat … So if the piece is sanded to 180, you should sand the endgrain to 220 or 320. Because these woods are closed pored, they absorb the stains differently and some of the darker brown stains turn gray on maple and birch (see picture to the right). Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2019, Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2019. I use Seal Coat cut 50/50 with alcohol as NathanAllen described. Carbon Gray Premium Fast Dry Interior Wood Stain (2-Pack) provides high quality color in 1 coat to enhance the natural beauty of interior wood surfaces. Once dry at the right hue you will want to apply a tinted dewaxed shellac (2lb) using a slightly more warm shade than used in the water based dye. This Classic Gray stain creates the perfect weathered look without over-saturating with too much gray. Just a standard darker color like cherry or something similar. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I will try a few such as the dyes and gel stain with of course the prestain before going through with anything. Atomjack, I really did not plan on staining this piece dark to start with. Superior wood stain saves time, energy and provides a great value. Also, you might want to consider giving it a coat of Zinsser sanding sealer and lightly sanding or steel wooling it before staining to help prevent blotchiness. 1. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. If an area soaks in/dries much more quickly than the surrounding area, coat that area again and repeat the overnight dry. The Do’s and Dont’s of Staining Maple Cabinet Doors will help you finish your cabinet order from The Door Stop. 5. Its unique formula features innovative … I dont understand. 4. Fast drying formula dries in 1 hour and uses nano pigments to offer superior color and coverage. For the table I think I used GF Candlelight but my wife wanted it still darker so I used another shellac wash coat followed with a final coat of GF Java which is really dark which is why I used the wash coat in between. Sand to 120, 180, 220, with preferred method, you are looking to prep an even and smooth surface, knocking down all the raised grain, 3. These same stains will look brown on oak, but gray on maple. All you can see is the solid drawer fronts and they turned out horribly blotchy but it was because of my own error. Thank you Nathan Allen for the tip. These same stains will look brown on oak, but gray on maple. Fast drying formula dries in 1 hour and uses nano pigments to offer superior color and coverage. -SST. As background, it’s easy to get the gray color in pre-finished maple or birch floors. Be careful with the wood species. Sealed two days later with concrete sealer , looks great and actually did penetrate the concrete. They even highlight the sanding scratches. There is probably a 4 times mark up on this product. Carbon Gray: <537.473 g/L Colonial Maple: <550.295 g/L Georgian Cherry: <522.341 g/L Gray: <545.786 g/L Java: <524.588 g/L New Pine: <548.423 g/L Nutmeg: <550.314 g/L Prairie Wheat: … It's Good for those who are willing to do DIY stuff/project in your garage/home. Good for toning uneven color also. Like how the would comes out when using this. Once dry, sand lightly and proceed with staining. I want a dark color that wont appear black when I finish. And thank you for the tip on Minwax, I have avoided staining maple because I could never get the samples right even with conditioner, but mineral spirits should help identify those spots. 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). Dye is a better bet, but only if you want pop. Charles Neil also sells a water based product that does a great job as a seal coat. Both your woods are notorious for blotching. Size Name: Half PintColor: Honey Maple Change. Varathane 1864685 Premium Fast Dry Semi-Transparent Honey Maple Wood Stain, 0.5 Pint - Case of 4. Fast drying formula dries in 1 hour and uses nano pigments to offer superior color and coverage. I just finished an entertainment center built out of maple and birch ply. This page works best with JavaScript. I actually used two coats on this sample as well even though it’s advertised as a one coat stain. It will dry pretty fast so don't walk away from it if you lay it on thick. Varathane's Weathered Gray stain lives up to its name on Handmade Haven's farmhouse dining table and benches. Deceptive advertising, buyer beware, it is not the small can at the store, this is more like a sample. 4. Thanks! Buy on Amazon The Varathane wood stains dry fast and give a stunningly consistent and opaque finish thanks to the “nano-pigment particle” technology it is … Analine dyes are remarkably flat, the shellac overcoat is intended to warm the color. Stay away. Yes, gray! $18.52 $ 18. Then wipe with a rag damp with mineral spirits. Varathane’s Honey Maple stain is the lightest stain color in this round up! I have used it but not with astonishing success. I like this stain though I did make he mistake of coating it on my birch wood backsplash and walked a way from it for a bit too long. Hope these ideas help. The only thing I would add to the above is about the min-wax stain conditioner. The color of the Varathane Weathered Gray stain varied widely depending on the wood species. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019. If you prepare the surface well and it is a small job this works. It barely soaked into the oak at all, but looked much darker on the maple. I have had success using a dye as mentioned above and then put a spit coat of shellac over that, then when dry a light sanding with 0000 steel wool or a buffing pad (gray). Red oak has underlying red tones, and often a darker gray is needed to achieve the desired look. Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020. these are tiny little sample sizes for the same price as the big ones at the home improvement stores and they are NOT eligible for return! I have had much better luck letting it dry overnight. But you will have to use a sealer if you want some sort of uniform finish on maple. You have some protection from oversaturation from the shellac sanding sealer, but even with dye you can cause slight blotching with maple/birch ply. The soak-in area is where you will have a darker blotch in your stain. Make a 10:1 mixture of water and yellow or white glue. the use of Varathane Fast Dry Carbon Gray on wood planter. Hard to find any where else but I needed this. I would practice with some stains on scrap pieces the check for the results you want. Shanty 2 Chic - DIY Desk and Side Tables Here you can see how two different woods take the same stain … Mix Analine–TransTint dye with water, apply by rag with a light hand. Create a weathered farmhouse-style finish with Varathane Wood Stain and Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint. The technique I use for getting dark stains in Maple is based on instructions graciously posted by M. Spagnuolo on his site (thewoodwhisperer.com) and the technicial musings at woodweb. No mixing or sealer coats before staining. 4.2 out of 5 stars 3. Silvered Grey 282; Cherry 235; Golden Oak 210B; Puritan Pine 218; Classic Gray 271; Rustic Beige 281; Sedona Red 222; Colonial Maple 223; Ipswich Pine 221; Driftwood 2126; Slate 284; Red Chestnut … Jen … It is not perfect, but It will get closer to a piano finish given time. First, you should sand the end-grain to one or two grits higher than the rest of the piece. Coat with dewaxed 1lb (Zinsser Sanding Sealer cut 50% with Denatured Alcohol) thinly. Here is a Link to Family Handyman article on staining maple…, Here are links to several good Youtube Videos…. We provide the high quality unfinished maple cabinet doors for your kitchens and bathrooms. First; Preventing this in the future. ... Varathane 269398 1-2 Pint Weathered Gray Fast Dry Wood Stain. image © theawesomeorange.com As told earlier, this gray wood stain is slightly different because it is similar more to ebony-like look. To price and order Custom Cabinet Doors online from the webs leading manufacturer visit our website, CabinetDoors.Com. I want to see the grain patterns and bring out my work. You can use Weatherwood Stains' reactive wood stains to create the look of driftwood on maple. Common examples include pine, fir and spruce or maple, alder and aspen (porous). You will not get the color you want in the first coat, for darker applications it is more like five to ten. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, Varathane 313610 Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, Half Pint, Honey Maple, See all details for Varathane 313610 Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, Half Pint, Honey Maple, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Varathane® Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain is a high performance stain system enhanced with nano pigment ... 304559 307416 Carbon Gray 307413 ---- Coal 307414 ---- Barn Red 303608 307415 Briarsmoke 313610 ---- Honey maple … I only discovered the difficulties of staining these woods after the fact. Second, dealing with the situation of a blotchy entertainment center sitting in your shop, If you have time you can strip the surface using a dichloromethane based stain/varnish stripper. Ron thanks for the advice! Wear gloves, wear goggles, work with plenty of fresh air. Stain can turn out blotchy on maple … Another technique is to apply a glue size to the endgrain. The more porous wood should still stay sealed unless you over-sand. Once you have removed the stain you can go ahead with a coloring/finishing routine. Varathane wood stain, sealers and repair items solve all of your wood care needs. I am sure by now you have decided on a process, but I thought I would throw this out. Varathane Carbon Gray Stain. Now, if you still want to get a darker finish on your Maple Cabinet Doors, here are some tips. I ordered this Carbon Gray wood stain and it covered the wood like an ugly gray … The table is on my project page if you want to have a look. Stick with dewaxed to avoid topcoat problems, and apply enough coats to hide the blotchiness. Combined, this innovative formula creates … Understand that staining–without blotches–is difficult. This high-performance stain features nano pigments, which intensify color clarity and highlight … Using it or using the shellac method described above I have been able to get excellent looking results using pine and popular in addition to maple. I have had really good success with them. Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2019. Rust-Oleum 269398 1/2 Pint Varathane Fast Dry Wood Stain, Weathered Gray, Pack of Two. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. If you want figure, thats OK. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. The Do’s and Dont’s of Staining Maple Cabinet Doors will help you finish your cabinet order from The Door Stop. Because these woods are closed pored, they absorb the stains differently and some of the darker brown stains turn gray on maple and birch (see picture to the right). We are building new maple kitchen cabinets and have applied two coats of Varathane Oil-based Premium wood stain to give them a deep cherry color. If you use oil based stains, you cant beat MinWax Wood Conditioner on Maple. Instead of stripping and started over I cleaned the areas , let it dry and wipes on 2 coats with a rag. When staining soft maple Kitchen doors and drawers from a millworks shop the painter applied a special walnut stain directly to the raw wood. Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2020. I have found these methods produce the best clarity with no blotching. 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. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Varathane 1 qt. Hope this helps. Superior wood stain … ... Varathane 304559 Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, Quart, Carbon Gray. Again a light hand since the dyes will react with the alcohol, not enough force to move them around. Thank you everyone! Oil and Urethene will provide a very durable finish, poly will also work if you want a bulletproof finish. Varathane 1 qt. Carbon Gray Premium Fast Dry Interior Wood Stain provides high quality color in 1 coat to enhance the natural beauty of interior wood surfaces. Following are several web posts covering the Maple Staining Problem and just as many solutions, including some helpful Youtube Video links. Then add lacquer and it comes out great. But always practice first on scrap. 5. Deceptive, this is a miniature can, probably a sample. Maple is hard and dense, so the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood very well. This post will help you choose your your stain, or your dye as the case will probably be. 1 Review. Save lot's of time and money on other stuff like oil, Polish, etc....., Apply directly on wood after sanding & you are good to go for DIY. The finer sanding will help prohibit stain absorption. Which also means the wood grains still show through the stain color. Minwax makes a product for this: Minwax Pre-Stain wood conditioner. When it is even, then lightly scuff sand before applying your stain.