erinlynntole

So...I decided I wanted to redo some old chairs I found in a junk shop...I loved the lines of them and really wanted a little project...I've never done any woodwork before.

but that being said, I went to the library, got a few books, and stripped and sanded for a long time on this set of 6 chairs. I got them completely down to the bare wood...no finish left on at all. Then went over them with fine grit sandpaper and proceeded to stain them.

I used a wood conditioner because I have no idea what sort of wood these are and didn't want to ruin them after I spent so much time stripping/sanding. Sooo....I decided to try MinWax dark walnut stain...and you'd think I put it on with a blindfold on! I put it on, let it sit for a few minutes and proceeded to wipe the stain off and rub to blend. There didn't appear to be any "blending" after the stain was wiped off...

Some parts of the wood appear to be taking the stain fine, and others it absorbs to almost black in the most random places.

I will say that I was planning on antique-ing these chairs after finishing anyway, roughing up the edges a bit. But now I think I got what I asked for because they look really old...The stain seems to have brought out grain where there wasn't any before. Ugh! I don't know what to do!

These pics are of the chair after one round of stain...Please help...I like the "old" look but these look like they've been through a fire! Will another layer of stain help? Last time I tried this, I seemed to just wipe BOTH layers of stain off after letting it sit for 15.

For example, the very bottom picture looks like the stain was applied SO unevenly...But it wasn't! And I rubbed and rubbed! What the heck is my DEAL HERE?!?!

I'm getting frustrated. Advice Please????
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Jim Tank

I would take one area like a back leg and sand the dark blotchy areas til they are raw wood again. then lightly sand the acceptable area to even it up , then apply sealer & stain to see how it reacts. The blotching in the pics looks like the old finish is not completely off in the light areas and there is no sealer in the dark areas. On sculpted wood with curves there are alot of areas where the grain changes direction and absorbs finishes and stain differently. With this in mind, sample areas can let you know how much sanding is required to achieve a uniform finish before continuing on to all the other chairs. On refinishing projects I get more consistant results using a wiping stain rather than a penatrating stain like Minwax. Also if you are brushing on the clear sealer it is important to not have any bare spots where the full force of the stain pigment penetrates the wood, or it comes out blotchy, which is what it looks like you have. Good luck.... pretty chairs by the way, I think they will be worth the extra effort in the end.

Julian the woodnut

I see this problem often. It's usuallly due to the fact that some of the original finish was still in the wood, or you didn't sand down the wood evenly to 220 grit, or the fact that you used minwax stain. A wipe on gel stain will give better results, and I wouldn't leave the stain on longer than the time it takes to do a section, then wipe it off. A second coat will make it darker it thats the desired result.

firehawkmph

Erin,
ditto on what the others said. I don't think the first two pics of the chair look bad. I would try redoing any black blotches like in the last pic, but I think the rest will look fine with a few coats of finish on it.
Mike Hawkins

erinlynntole

Call me crazy, but after some light sanding and retouching, I have sort of fallen in love with the beat up look of these chairs. They are very dinged, battered and bruised...But I sort of LIKE it?! Am I nuts? I feel like with the brand new light colored and crisp reupholstered seats, the contrast of old and new is going to be part of their charm. I have not applied any finish yet. What do you all recommend, and what is the best way to apply it?

Jim Tank

As long as nobody from Better Homes & Gardens or Bob Vielllia ever shows up to take a look.... Who cares??? If you like them that should be enough... for a good antique rubbed finish you could apply used motor oil.

Rick Mosher

Do you have a compressor and a spray gun or will you be brushing or wiping?

erinlynntole

*recurring dream happening again*

I will be using a brush...just went out and got a nice natural bristle one...

Motor oil??? how does that work?

Streamwinner

Nope, and I think that's your bottom line right there: do it how you like it, not how others like it... unless you want to sell it.