Goof on maple entertainment center

[glynn smith]

I was hoping someone could help us salvage our custom built entertainment stand for our TV. We bought it unfinished thinking it should be straight forward to stain. However, being a bit inexperienced it didn't go as well as we would like.

We used a oil based dark stain (Dark brown expresso) and got it somewhat even. It was by no means perfect but the areas that would have been visible were pasable.

The situation got worse when we had our teenage son apply the shellac coat to give it a shine. However, When he did it he got alot of debris mixed in with the finish.

We then decided to strip it to refinish it. We have been able to get all the finish off but not the stain. How bare does the wood have to be get an even finish the second time around? We are concerned we will sand through the veneer along the edges or the portion of the plywood used on parts of the piece of funiture. I fear that we are not capable of replacing any of the veneer. http://www.refinishwizard.com/phpbb/images/smiles/icon_redface.gif

We got some gel based minwax stain & wood conditioner for the second attempt but are hoping for some advice before we attempt it again. I fear we are at a loss to how to approach fixing this and would greatly appreciate any assistance anyone may have.

Thanks in advance!

[Steve Schoene]

Why do you want to remove the stain if you had achieve satisfactory results? Nor, do you need to remove it if you wish to apply a similar color gel stain in order to even out the coloring. Gel stain is good for that purpose and tends to be considerably less "blotchy" than the liquid stain. If you have the top coat off the gel stain should work fine. Do a test on an out of the way part before you commit to visible areas.

By the way, stripping off shellac is best done using denatured alcohol--even when fully dry it can be redissolved. Shellac does make a good finish for this kind of thing that won't see heavy wear, but should look nice. The best way for an inexperienced finisher to proceed is to use a pad made from an old t-shirt. Just fold the fabric so all the edges are turned into the center. If you buy liquid shellac, I recommend you thin it. Two kinds are available, both made by Zinsser. Seal Coat is shellac without wax, and is a light amber color (blonde). I would add denatured alcohol in the ratio of about 2 parts shellac to 1 part alcohol.

If you can't find the Seal coat you would use Amber shellac. It comes stronger, with about 3 lbs. of shellac to a gallon. To work well you need to dilute it with alcohol a bit more. Equal parts of Amber shellac and Alcohol would be OK. (These ratios aren't exactly the same for Seal Coat and Amber but nothing need be precise.)

Padded on with a rag will put on very thin coats of shellac that dry so fast that it can't pick up much dust from the air. For the two or three coats on a large object such as an entertainment center you can work almost continuously, the first coat will be ready for the next where you started working by the time you reach the other end. The only real secret is to work quickly and don't worry about any missed spots or overlaps. Don't stop the pad when it is on the surface and take a break immediately if you notice the pad begins to drag. As you build the coats the finish will be more and more even. This is something your son can get back on the horse and be successful with, and it could change his attitude toward similar projects (maybe).

[glynn smith]

Thanks.

When stripping the shellac off, it removed a portion of the stain off as well. Also, while the stain job was pasable, my wife was not overly thrilled with it.

So as long as we get the shellac finish off, we should be able to use the gel stain? How would I apply the stain to even it out? Would I apply a even first coat and then "touch" in areas that are not as dark?

Also, should I use wood conditioner at all?

Thanks again for your advice.

Glynn

[Bob Reda]

Glyn,

How did you remove the shellac? Did you used alchol or a sander? If you used a sander and got down into the wood you may need to touch up the light areas. If not, just reapply the gel stain. I wouldn't use a wood conditioner with the gel stain at this time.

Bob

[Steve Schoene]

You don't need the conditioner with gel stain, and you only need to get the shellac off just using DNA (denatured alcohol.) No sanding should be needed. I would apply the gel stain uniformly, and wipe it off as directed. You will probably find that much of your problems with uneven color will disappear. You can apply a second coat after the first has dried if you are still not happy. It won't darken as much as the first, and you can finesse the issue a little by how hard you wipe off the gel, but you still need to wipe off excess since it doesn't like to be used as a paint.

[Craig Coney]

what type of stain did you use? water base, oil base? If it was water base, you could put more stain on & scrub it with a white abrasive pad & wipe off, or use water & scrub. This will help get some of it off. I'd use a sealer, then stain lighter than you want, then darken using toner or glaze.