Matching maple to existing woodwork

[Wes Billups]

I've just finished building a couple of cabinets for our bathroom addition and I want to have the maple be in the sample color family as the rest of the house trim. Our house is poplar with a "Toffee" stain. I'd call in a medium brown. I've never stained maple without severe blotching. I've heard good things about dyes so I've orderd some Dark Maple Transtint dye to practice with but am looking for suggestions on how to apply it.

Should I add the dye to a 1# cut of shellac and apply this as the first coat?

Do I mix the dye with water and apply this to the raw wood after I've raised the grain and sanded?

Do I mix the dye with alcohol and apply this to the raw wood?

Should I apply a thinned coat of shellac and then apply the dye?

I've been reading up on this and now have more questions than before I started researching. I plan on experimenting with scrap but wanted to get the best start possible before I wasted alot of time.

Thanks,
Wes

[Neal Clayton]

if the trim has a colored poly finish you can bring a cabinet door of the same color to sherwin williams and they'll mix one up for you, and get pretty close.

yes you should use a sealer, about a 1 to 1.5 pound cut of clear (zinnser clear in a can is NOT dewaxed! must mix your own or get from some other source).

[Scott Holmes]

I usually apply dye (TransTints) in denatured alcohol (DNA) to raw wood.

Applying it with or after shellac is creating a toner. Maple will dye much better than it will stain. I dyed maple trim to match walnut and a maple railing to match dyed alder. I used Transtints medium brown to match the dyed alder and dark walnut to match the walnut.

Water or alcohol for transtint dyes. I usually spray dyes mixed in DNA. You need to be careful using dye in DNA overlaping will show. Water is easier for the first time spraying or wiping dyes. Practice, practice, practice. If it's too dark wipe it with the DNA or water if it's too light add another coat.