help- messed up stain job on oak bed

[David Nidiffer]

Working on a bed for my 2 yr old. I had wiped on one coat of oil based stain, wiped off the excess. Waited a couple days but didn't like how the oak plywood panels in the foot board took the color, re-stained but got too dark...

Sanded it off and re-stained today. Stain didn't penetrate and is a lot lighter. So what to do?

That is where I hope you guys can help me before I make a bigger mess.

The panels and a couple other spots need some work.

I am hand rubbing a Tung oil based wiping varnish for the finish. I just need to get the color balanced with the headboard.

Stripping would be the last resort. I am not familiar with dyes/toners so I am not sure if those could be used successfully here.

Any advice would be great.

thanks, david
foot_board.jpg

[Scott Holmes]

Most likely your problem was caused by sanding the too dark stain off the wood...

Sanding is a poor way to remove old fiish. I say "finish" because oil based stains use varnish as the binder (which holds the pigment in place after it dries) so you are actually adding varnish to the project. This varnish selas the wood pores. Sanding cannot get the finish out of the wood pores unless you remove a lot of wood as you do when sanding floors with a floor sander. Hand sanding plywood will only remov ethe surface color and will leave the plywood pores sealed. Now the fresh stain has nowhere to hide when you wipe it dry.

Stripping the plywood with a chemical stripper is probably the last thing you want to hear... re-making the panel is another option...

One final option would be to use a toner; this must be learned and practiced on something other than you project!

[John TenEyck]

A gel stain may be your best friend if you can find one that gives you the color you want. Gel stains can be applied like a glaze over sealed wood, and you can build up color by applying multiple coats, if necessary. I've turned maple into rosewood this way. Regardless of your current situation, plywood will often give a different hue compared to hardwood of the same species when you try to dye or stain it. As a result, you often have to modify your finishing schedule to get everything to look the same. This is why it is important to work out your finishing process and materials on scrap before you commit it to your project. I would suggest that you take some scrap, reproduce what you've already done, and then try out whatever remedial actions you are thinking about first.

John

[Scott Holmes]

Good point John,

A gel stain used as a glaze is another option that may be the easiest solution.