Itchy Brother

I bought some red oak for a bookshelf project theeeeeeeeen decided I would like it to look a darker color like walnut.I took a sample piece of red oak and put a golden oak stain on it and next to it I put some walnut stain on.I hand rubed both on and off with a rag.I couldnt tell the difference.What am I doing wrong and what stain should I use on red oak to make it look brown in color?? TNX fer any help.

djonesax

IMO red oak is hard to get dark. I have found that if you are using a stain like minwax you will have to leave it on for a long time before wiping off. And even then dont wipe it completely dry. In a couple of projects where I have tried to get red oak dark I let it soak in for 15 minutes and then wiped it off but didnt change the rag as often and kept wiping with a damp same rag. This will leave some of the stain on the wood becuase the rag is still wet. You could also try going darker than the color you are looking for to make up for the difference. I will say that normally I would let the stain soak in and then completely wipe the wood dry until a dry cloth is not removing any more stain. Also with stains like minwax that are considered a sealent as well. Dont even bother with more than one coat. The second coat will just wipe off because the first coat sealed it up.

Another thing I have noticed about red oak... It is has tight pores but a very open grain. The stain will soak into the grain but as it dries it will push out for some reason. I just keep checking in it and wipe up the bubble spots every hour or so.

I am eager to read what other responses you get from this because I have been in your shoes and I may learn something here as well.

toddj99

here's a link to a quilt rack i built out of red oak (the darker wood on it is walnut). I used quikrete liquid cement color - charcoal. mixed some with water, swabbed it on with a foam brush then sanded most of it back, leaving it in the open grain. then i used transtint dark mission brown dye mixed as per suggested (you can go darker or lighter). dyed it twice. the finish is an oil mix with gf satin urethane.

Mom's Quilt Rack

WDChew

Try a gel stain (actually a wiping varnish with color). It will darken oak more than a penetrating stain because it sits like a glaze on the surface.

bradnailer

When I want to get a piece darker than it will accept using normal stain, I first stain the piece, then rub on several coats of a mixture of wipe on poly and the stain. It will still maintain the grain look but gradually get darker. Plus, when you have it where you want it, you're finished.

cabinetman

Try not sanding smoother than 120x -150x. If you use a stain, use a pigmented oil base stain. Dyes work well, and use an alcohol based (methanol) dye, as it won't raise the grain and in powder form you can increase its intensity. Allow it to dry completely if it will be recoated.

Woodworks by John

Your post prompted me to join the forum! I've done many projects in Oak and although I prefer not to stain it when I do I use Watco Danish Oil. Someone mentioned the bleeding problem you'll run into with oak because of the large pores. I've obtained a dark walnut finish on oak by using the dark walnut Danish Oil. The best way to minimize the bleeding is to sand to 150 or 180 grit. Then use distilled water (sometimes minerals in tap water react to oak's tannin) to wet the wood. Once that's dry sand it again with 220 (or use a scraper if that's in your bag of tricks!) and apply the oil. I generally like to use 220 wet/dry paper and create a slurry which also seems to fill the pores. I top coat with a hand rubbed concotion that's time consuming but gives the kind of finish I desire. Just an aside - Watco had a bad rap t0-15 years ago because it will spontaneously combust. I know that from personal experience too. I keep an old bucket full of water and completely submirse used rags in that. On garbage day I drain the water and put them in the can. Good luck on your work -- John

stcroix123

i've had a lot of luck, when color was more important than distinct grain patterns, by putting aminwax stain on heavily but uniform & without wiping letting it dry. be warned it might take 2 to 3 days to dry & will obscure the grain pattern somewhat counting on how heavily you put it on