Staining poplar, any good results?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All,
I'm thinking of using poplar for the legs and apron of a hall table. I usually use walnut, hard maple etc. but wondered if I stain poplar if it would look any good? Anybody have any luck making this wood look more expensive than it is? Thanks Alan in Md.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Alan, I have stained Poplar with both oil based stain and dyes. I had the best, most uniform results using Transtint Dye from Homestead Finishing. I used the water based Transtint, and had the Poplar looking good. I was matching new wood to what appeared to be Mahogany Stained Cherry. I thought I had my hands full at first, but the Dye had me right on the first time. There was no blotchiness whatsoever, and the dye was easy and straightforward. As always, YMMV........but it worked for me! :)

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Kevin, That gives me encougagement to try it at least. I'll do some samples and see how it goes. Thanks for your reply. Alan

[Greg Heppeard]

You can put a light coat of shellac on before using a regular oil based stain and get good results also.

[Jim Becker]

I use dyes with poplar with good results...take a look at the Shaker-style furniture I made for my nieces on my site for an idea of what I've come up with.

[Jack Young]

Alan-

I'm not far from you over here in VA and have 5 acres of mostly large poplars with a few oaks and hickory scattered around. The responses to your question give me hope that I can do something which I thought was nearly hopeless. Next time one of the poplars comes down, I'll think about a few boards.

Jack

[Alan Tolchinsky]

might you use for table construction if not using poplar? That is one that is not a "premium" type wood. I give all my stuff away to my kids and they don't care what wood it is. They just like getting free stuff. :) Alan

[Jim Becker]

Alan, don't underestimate poplar...it's a fine wood to work with and a TON of it goes into manufactured furniture, too. You just can't tell it's under the factory finishes. People really sell it short sometimes, saying it's only good for painting or too soft or whatever. I use a lot of it (since I got a lot off the property a few years ago) and have really come to appreciate it. But I'll admit that my "fine furniture" tends to be cherry or sometimes walnut, the latter because I also got it off the property and the former because it's my favorite. I almost never use oak, but do use ash for chair spindles...and it contrasts nicely with cherry, walnut and/or mahogany.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi Jim,
I really like working with poplar and in milling it reminds me of cherry except with less burning. I love cherry and am building a clock of it right now. What do you think about the hardness of poplar vs. cherry, walnut, soft maple? The finger nail test tells me walnut is not that hard but neither is poplar. Alan

[aurelio alarcon]

I used poplar to make a corner cabinet for my mother, and it came out beautiful. I agree with Jim. As a matter of fact, he gave me some good tips on using poplar when I first asked. I used a water based stain (oak), and it looks quite nice. Very nice to work with too! I will use it again--I'm sure of it!

[Ken Salisbury]

I have used poplar for more things over the years than I care to remember (at my age remembering is hard :) ).

I have found that using Minwax Wood Conditioner as a precoat prior to staining or dying results in a much more even color.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi Ken, Thanks, I have some of that conditioner that I used on my oak steps for the end grain. I'll give it a try. I'm only 55( on Sept. 30) and I have the same memory problem. Who are you anyway? :) But who is that in your avatar? Alan in Md.

[Todd Burch]

Alan I use a lot of poplar, but generally paint it. The top of table I am sitting at right now, in the picture, is poplar. I applied a cherry toner (NGR - alcohol based dye stain) and then stained with a color called cinnamon. It looks fantastic, even though there was a lot of green in the wood.

(See full table here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=3515)

Todd.

[Jim Becker]

It looks fantastic, even though there was a lot of green in the wood.
The greenish heartwood in poplar will turn a nice brown with exposure to UV and O2. It's only green when fresh cut/milled. For that reason, it's sometimes a good idea to expose the sanded surfaces to the sun for awhile before commencing with the finishing process to insure you're getting the color you really want, rather than compensating for any green that is initially visible.

[Ken Salisbury]

Hi Ken, Who are you anyway? :) But who is that in your avatar? Alan in Md.


That is the only famous person (other than me :) ) born on 9-11 .
Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant (my life long hero)

[Alan Tolchinsky]

That is the only famous person (other than me :) ) born on 9-11 .
Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant (my life long hero)



Well Ken, if you're going to have a hero, you might as well have a GREAT one. Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan I use a lot of poplar, but generally paint it. The top of table I am sitting at right now, in the picture, is poplar. I applied a cherry toner (NGR - alcohol based dye stain) and then stained with a color called cinnamon. It looks fantastic, even though there was a lot of green in the wood.

(See full table here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=3515)

Todd.

Todd, You're something; you can even make good looking legs out of 2x4's. If I tried that they'd look like, well, 2x4's. Now stop that. :) Thanks for the pic. Alan

[Chris Padilla]

The greenish heartwood in poplar....
My wife LOVES that green color in poplar. I told that it won't stay that color for long. I see a lot of poplar going into our bedroom furniture set that I will build someday...stained to maintain that green heartwood color. :)