What's best for uniform color on large panels?

[Russell Tribby]

I'm at the tail end of wrapping up a large built-in that was stained a dark cherry. There were quite a few large panels that needed to be stained. While they came out okay, I've never really been satisfied when I've tried to get uniform color on large panels. I sprayed my stain on this time and wiped it off and then went over it with a tinted lacquer. Would I do better to hand apply the finish? Possibly use a dye? I've struggled with stain in the past when trying to avoid streaking on large panels. I could really use some help with this. Finishing should be an enjoyable part of the project since you get to see everything come together, however, it is quickly becoming for me what sanding is to a lot of people.

[Jim Becker]

I've pretty much gone to 100% dye when I need to color something, but more often than not, I don't color...I just do careful grain and color matching of the material.

[Russell Tribby]

Do you hand apply the dye? If so, how easy/hard is it to get uniform color on a large panel?
Not coloring would not have been an option on this job. In a perfect world for me I wouldn't have to apply another stain in my life....:o

[Howard Acheson]

>> how easy/hard is it to get uniform color on a large panel?

The biggest factor in getting an even color is to pick the right species and pick boards that have an even natural color. What species are you using?

For species like cherry and birch, I first color with a light amber waterbased dye to establish an overall even coloring. What comes next is determined by what color I want the item to be. It's never a good idea to color a board to a much deeper color than it's natural color. If that's what you want to do, use a wipe-on gel stain after first applying a spit coat of dewaxed shellac. The dewaxed shellac locks in the dye color and allows you to wipe off the wipe-on stain with a rag wetted with mineral spirits if things are not going the way you want.

Keep in mind that the larger the panel the more difficult it is going to be to get an even color. It's just a function of your skill and patience.

[Stephen Bunch]

I have a how-to on my site (look in the library) that goes over getting color in steps - might help give you some ideas...