Fix my mess?!

[Adam Cavaliere]

I decided to build an end table and since it was my first time trying mortise and tenons, I used poplar. Well I was so happy with how it turned out I figured I would stain it Cherry. I went to the BORG and picked up some Varathane cherry stain.

I figured I would be OK because the stain seemed to be a dye/pigment mix.

Well the stain turned out HORRIBLY. The whiter part of the wood took the stain very blotchy and much deeper red than the green parts of the wood. The green parts barely stained at all.

I knew I should have read the Flexner book about poplar before staining it. So now I see that he recommends a straight dye. I have read the recommendations of using a water-based dye and then using a dewaxed shelac over that.

So on all visible surfaces, I have sanded them down pretty well to remove the stain. There are reminants left, but not too much. On the underside and inside of the table I left the stain as I didn't want to sand all of that.

Can I use the waterbased dye finish even though I used an oil based stain? Any other recommendations? I am going to stop by woodcraft this evening to pickup what I need.

[Mike McCann]

Adam

when I stained poplar I used a preconditioner first and then the stain. both were minwax products and that eliminated the blotching.

here is a pic of it the stain was merlot.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Which raises the question of whether a conditioner and a re application of the stain would help.
Of a certainty it'd make the color much darker.


However sanding out stain and die is ~ ~ ~ ~ well~ ~ ~ I've only done it once and won't willingly do it again. It can be done. It's just a lot of work and time.

[Jim Becker]

If you thoroughly sanded the piece to bare wood, you should be able to use the water soluble dye. Stains like you used don't really penetrate deeply and if the color is gone, you should only have wood remaining. You may want to wait a week or two for the "green" heartwood to turn brown before doing so as it will help you see what the real color will be. I work a lot in poplar and know it well in that respect.

[Adam Cavaliere]

I have had the wood for well over 2 months... it never really turned brown.

I didn't get all of the color out as it was way too much work. I went through 3 sheets (12 squares) of sandpaper so far as it clogs pretty easily. I clean off the sandpaper 2 times before finally switching to another square.

So should I try the proconditioner as it will probably handle the oil stain better than the waterbased dye?

I am appreciating the help so far!

[Jim Becker]

Did you expose it to the sun? That's the only way the greenish heartwood will tan out. If it's in the dark, it will stick around.

Do yourself a favor and try the pre-conditioner and stain on some scrap of the same poplar to see if you like the results. And make sure you follow the instructions on the pre-conditioner relative to timing. As a general rule you should ALWAYS go through your finishing regimen on scrap before committing to your actual project....

[Adam Cavaliere]

I really wish I had tested before starting the finish. Guess I just got excited about finishing it (pardon the pun ).

Well the pre-stain conditioner worked! I just finished putting on my coat of stain and it look great! I think I will be putting one more coat on as I am looking for a darker finish than I have now. At least the table doesn't look so scary now!

Thanks for all of the advice!