Stain/finish suggestion for a TV stand

[Joseph Chang]

Hi,

I took a woodworking class a while back and built a TV stand out of plywood (I think it's birch plywood). The plywood has a distinct figure running across three surfaces. I would like to stain it darker so it will not stand out when we watch TV. But I would also like to maintain this nice contrast.
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I have been reading about stain but still am not sure whether dye or pigment are better for this case. If possible, I would like to use water-based stain/finish for easy cleanup. Should I also using satin not glassy finish so that the there is no reflection from the TV.

Any suggestion on the stain/finish I should use?

Thanks,
Joseph

[Valk Wilkinson]

Finishing the top of plywood is like finishing any other wood really. I would suggest taking some scraps and experimenting with different stains/dyes etc. Probably end up with some satin poly as you suggested for durability. Remember if your going to put multiple coats of poly or any clear finish on wood, use gloss for the bottom layers and just use the satin for last one or maybe 2. Anything flat or satin will have some silicates or something in it to refract the light. too many coats of that will really cloudy up the look of the wood. Looks like a really nice project.

[Joseph Chang]

Thank you, Valk.

I will try to experiment on scraps.

Joseph