maple wood trim not staining properly plz Help! - Woodworking Talk

sweettexas14043 · 11-02-2009, 08:40 AM

At the recommendation of our contractor we choose to use maple trim that matches our existing hardwood floors. There is however oak trim also on the doors and windows the are already stained with a clear coat. The problem is.....The maple trim which is routed and paid for already will not stain without blotching we've tried just about everything but certainly are still willing to listen to your advise before we paint this investment.

**Leo G** · 11-02-2009, 08:55 AM

Maple is a blotchy wood, along with pine, birch, cherry and several others. Getting an even stain on it can be difficult and frustrating for those of you who do not have years of finishing skills.

The wood needs to be sanded to a consistent finish. Then there are a few ways to go. First is use a conditioner. This is usually called stain base or natural stain. You apply it and wait for it to fully dry. Then you can apply the stain and it should blotch much less. The conditioner goes into the wood and fills in the areas that are absorbing more stain causing the blotchiness.

Another way is to use a washcoat. This usually works with a sealer or a topcoat thinned to have about 5% solids. You apply the washcoat to the wood and then lightly sand it after the washcoat has dried. Then apply the stain.

Third way, and it will give the most consistent finish is to use a shaded lacquer. You are essentially painting on a transparent colored coat of color mixed in with the clear coat. For best results this must be applied with a spray system.

The first two will give you good results and I personally use the conditioner all the time. But you must remember that using the conditioner or the washcoat will make the stain lighter in appearance because it is limiting the stains ability to penetrate into the wood. The third one is really for a pro who has all the proper equipment that is finely tuned in to do the job. I have been finishing for a few years now and still find it difficult to do without some streaking occuring from overlapping strokes applying more color in areas. Good luck.

Gene Howe · 11-02-2009, 09:50 AM

Leo,
Thanks! a great primer (pun intended) on finishing Maple.
Is there a particular brand of conditioner that you would recommend?
Gene

**Leo G** · 11-02-2009, 01:11 PM

Well, the stuff that I recommend you probably can't get unless you are a professional finisher. I use ML Campbell products, just the plain old stain base is the poison of my choosing.

If you are doing a Minwax stain the Minwax natural stain should work. I never tried it, but the two should work the same. You would have to apply it and wait over night (8 hours) before you could stain. Otherwise you could do the washcoat and use a dewaxed shellac thinned out 10 parts DNA to 1 part Shellac. Make sure you do tests with the washcoat. If you don't thin it out enough you will make a barrier that the stain won't penetrate and will stop the staining process. If you sprayed Minwax Poly shades (I hate this stuff) you could do the colored coat and it shouldn't blotch that much. But because of its slow drying it will blotch a little because the stain will have time to soak into the wood a bit.

JW_in_Indy · 11-03-2009, 04:45 PM

I would be in the camp of using a washcoat (or two or three - test on some scrap to get the results you need) of dewaxed shellac thinned 50/50 with denatured alcohol. Then applying a lacquer toned with a dye finish system on anything maple. This type of finish system gives you far superior results IMHO.

JW_in_Indy · 11-03-2009, 04:51 PM

And a follow up to another thing that Leo said.... using a "conditioner" like he recommends is not the same thing as a "wood conditioner" in a can that you can buy "ready made." That stuff is basically junk. What he is recommending is the "natural" stain (or the one without any or the least amount of pigment/color in the stain line) as a wood conditioner. I've never tried this, but it makes sense and seems to be a good idea.

I just want to point out the difference in a "natural" stain as a wood conditioner versus a pre made "wood conditioner" which is usually a big waste of money. Again, IMHO, YMMV, FWIW and all that.