Refinishing Chairs

[Dave Tinley]

I was asked to refinish some dining room chairs to match a set. When I stripped off of the old finish there was a yellow base coat, I am guessing some kind of epoxy coat the factory put on to make the stain appear as even as possible ????
So after alot of sanding I got it down to mostly bare wood, I applied a 1 lb coat of shellac and started staining with a oil based stain(antique walnut).
My problem is I am not getting an even color, some areas are alot darker. Also it has a cane back and the color is very splotchy on the cane part.
Should I keep adding coats of stain??
Or should I apply some kind of epoxy coat and start over>?
If I needed the base coat, what brand of epoxy would I use ??
Thanks
Dave

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Probably a gel type stain would go on more evenly. Cane does not stain well because it has a natural hard surface. A stain varnish was used by the factories for both the wood and the cane. This makes the chair all one color. Refinishing makes it difficult to get the wood and cane to match. When I recane a chair I absolutely refuse to color the cane. It will naturally turn darker with age. Probably your best bet is to try the gel stain or perhaps a dye although I don't know how successful due would be on cane.