Help staining Poplar doors

[Kevin Fitzsimons]

I'm about to start staining a few poplar 4-panel interior doors. I'm going to use Old Masters wiping stain. A custom mixed shade of cherry. The doors are pretty clear, with some of the green color, but not too bad. I stained several of the doors years ago and I can't remember what I used to seal the wood so the stain covers evenly. The doors have been sanded to 180 -220.
Have any of you stained poplar lately and used a sealer? Any hints for an even finish?
Thanks, Kevin

[Jim Becker]

I only use dyes on poplar (which I use a lot of). It's a very close grained wood and pigment stains tend to get really muddy and unpredictable. If "Old Masters" has a recommended pre-stain conditioner, that would be the best choice. If not, you could try the Minwax pre-stain conditioner if "Old Masters" is an oil based product. As an alternative you could also try a very light wash-coat of de-waxed shellac...maybe a half-pound cut. Try any and all of these on scraps of your actual project material before you commit to a finishing regimen for your doors.

[Casey Gooding]

If you want to stain, a very thin coat of shellac would be the best way to start. After staining, if you want a deeper color, you can apply another sealer coat of shellac and then more stain. This will be a glaze and should be manipulated until you get the desired color.

[John Grossi]

Kevin, this entire project was done with poplar. If you are interested, my wife could explain the finishing schedule. It was a few years ago, but she said she has notes.177735

[Curt Harms]

WOW!! Sure doesn't look like poplar. Kudos to you and your wife.

[David Nelson1]

Love the color and the finish!! I would be greatfull to see those notes if they can be scanned.

[lowell holmes]

On poplar, I've had good luck with wiping on a 2 pound cut of shellac. I used a water based stain wiped on over the shellac. I followed that with a wiped on varnish. The varnish was thinned with paint thinner, making it a wipe on finish.

[Kevin Fitzsimons]

John, I'd really be interested in her formula / method. Funny, my wife does most of the finishing in this household too. Very picky! The cabinet looks great, John. At least David and I are interested and I'm sure others would benefit.
Thanks, Kevin

[Clarence Miller]

count me in on a finishing lesson as well, I would have misdiagnosed that species really easily.

[Jim Becker]

WOW!! Sure doesn't look like poplar. Kudos to you and your wife.

Ah, Curt...what does poplar "look like"?? LOL I've done many projects out of poplar. Like this Thos Moser design armoire finished in December 2004 (inside back is pine):

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13607&d=1102904509 http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13280&d=1102302583

Or this student desk...

http://sawsndust.com/images/kids-furniture/kids-desk.jpg

[Stephen Pereira]

John,

I, too, would love to see your finishing formula. It is nice to see someone using poplar.

[John Grossi]

178016178015Okay guys, here it is. I told my wife when the project was finished, that I had the easy part. I built it and she finished it. 178014We bought everything at Sherwin Williams
The stain was custom made for us using an oil base stain from Sherwin
Williams.

Stain----Interior Wood Classics Penetrating Oil Base Stain

manual match
BAC COLORANT 1oz 32 64--128
*Y3 Deep Gold 21/32
*R2 Maroon 41/32 1--64
*N 1 Raw Umber 34/32 1--64
*B1 Black 15/32 1--64
*G2 New Green 1--64
*R4 New Red 38/32
Other Materials
*Wood Classics Sanding Sealer----#640315891
*Wood Classics Charcoal Stain----#640329264
*Wood Classics Satin Varnish-----#640315941
(Fast Dry oil varnish)
* Fine grade sandpaper
* Tac cloth

Steps
1. Stain wood with oil base stain, I used a soft cloth.
2. Apply sanding sealer let it dry appropriate time
3.sand lightly. Use tac cloth to get debri off.
4.Apply a thin coat satin varnish, let dry
5. Antique with the charcoal stain** I mixed some of the charcoal
stain and the oil base stain in a jar to make the color I wanted to antique. **
I don't remember the exact amount. I wiped the mixed charcoal stain
on the wood, then I wiped off the desired amount to get the wood
grain look I wanted. ( Work in little sections at a time. example
do one door at a time). Let dry
6. Apply Satin Varnish. Let dry
7. Sand lightly with fine grade sandpaper. Use tac cloth
8. Apply another coat of Satin Varnish.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8

I applied 3 coats of Satin Varnish as the finished coat.

** Experiment with steps 4 & 5 I am almost positive I put a coat
of varnish then the charcoal stain because I was afraid that the
charcoal stain wood soak into the wood and make it to dark.
There is a chance that I didn't I might have applied the charcoal stain
after the sanding sealer. It has been 4 years and I'm not positive.

[Kevin Fitzsimons]

Nice. Thanks John. No wood conditioner, eh? The finish looks so even and no blotching.

[John Grossi]

Kevin, She stained, then the sanding sealer. No conditioner. It would be hard to see any blotching because she used charcoal stain to make a wood grain. That was towards the end of the process. To get the above process, my wife phoned SW the other day. She remembered most of it, but wanted to get it correct. The guy she talked to told her; stain, then the sanding sealer. She is 90% sure that is what she did 4 years ago. If you decide to go this route, talk to your SW and see what they say. I can tell you this, we made 6 or 7 trips to SW, trying different formulas on poplar. I'll bet it was 2 weeks of experimenting before her and SW nailed it down. By the way, SW was terrific, spending a ton of time with us. I know that is their job, but these guys were very helpful.

[Kevin Fitzsimons]

Began the finishing process over the weekend. First used Zinsser no-wax shellac diluted 1:2 with denatured alcohol to coat the whole door. I put it on liberally and didn't wipe it off. If it absorbed quickly, I brushed on another coat right away. It dried overnight. Sanded the door completely because the fibers raised. Used 220 grit. Seemed like that took forever. My wife brushed on the Old Masters wiping stain with a heavy coat, let it stand for awhile, and wiped it off for an even color. It looks great. Very even and it's only going to need one coat of stain. Then we'll finish it with two to four coats of Minwax Satin Poly. Thanks for all the tips.