Black finish on pine dresser

[Jon Endres]

I am building a simple pine dresser for my daughter, and she would like to have it be black, or close to black, without it being paint. I am looking at the various products on the market and have no idea how they might turn out. I don't want to waste my money on something that won't look dark enough. I would also like something fairly simple to apply. Any good suggestions? Whatever I use, I will probably apply a water-based semi-gloss poly over it.

[John TenEyck]

India ink followed by GF's High Performance. Can all be done with a brush. All bets are off if there are any knots, however. In any case, test on scrap.

John

[Brian Tymchak]

Pine is notorious for blotchy finishes unless you use a preconditioner. Even with a black finish, it will likely look uneven with the different densities of wood grain. So as part of your experiments, try with a wood conditioner as well.

[John TenEyck]

Pine is notorious for blotchy finishes unless you use a preconditioner. Even with a black finish, it will likely look uneven with the different densities of wood grain. So as part of your experiments, try with a wood conditioner as well.

That won't be an issue with India Ink; it'll be jet black regardless of grain orientation. Knots and sap, however, might be a problem. If that turns out to be true, then a gel stain or something like GF's black Milk Paint might be a better option.

John

[Jim Becker]

Angelus black shoe dye...followed by a clear coat in the sheen of your choice.

[Jim W. White]

J.E. Moser's Water Soluble Ebony Black Aniline Dye. ....used it on red oak, could not believe how black it came out.

[Gordon Stump]

I like to follow the black aniline dye with GF Ebony Gel Stain.