Streamwinner

Hello everyone,

I've been working on a dresser that I've picked up at a thrift store. I'll walk you through my process so far.

I've completely strpped the old finish with a chemical stripper and then washed it with mineral spirits. I've spent a lot of time sanding (actually, sanding is my favorite part of wordworking). I used a random orbital sander for 100 and 150 grit, then 220 and 280 by hand. When finishing it, I used Minwax wood conditioner and then promptly applied a Minwax oil-based stain.

I've only done a few drawers so far, because it came out splotchy (see picture). I was really hoping that it wasn't due to a poor sanding job, though that's possible. For one of the drawers, I resanded it (it was about two weeks later, so the previous oil and conditioner were completely dry). When I look really close at the grain, it seems like there are some "stubborn" spots in the wood that just won't sand out (see second picture with arrows). I'm not sure if these are flaws in the wood or if it is again a poor sanding job, but it seems like it's these that are causing the splotches.






Does anyone have any ideas about what to do about this?

Thanks in advance! -SW

clockdaddy

SW,
The splotches you are seeing are the natural formations in the wood. Wood grain not only (in this case) runs the length of the board but it also has an up and down direction . Remember times your were cutting with a chisel and chiseling from one direction you would dig into the wood but chiseling from the other direction the chisel seemed to slide over the wood making it difficult to cut?
Grain has a surpentine movement in the wood and some areas will absorb the stain like the end grain cut at the end of the board. This is part of the natural beauty of wood. Check out a piece of pine wood. it really has a lot of there places in them.
Thus, the variation has nothing to do with your wood preparation.
Frankly, my biggest concern is the amount of sanding you do to the wood. Be sure not to burnish the wood using to fine of a sandpaper grade. This also affects the amount of stain the wood will absorb.
Good luck,
CD

__________________
Life has a way of forcing wisdom upon us!

Streamwinner

Thanks for the advice, clockdaddy. I'm glad that it's natural. Do you think I should stop at 220 grit?

Also, I've read in some other posts that people let the wood conditioner dry completely before applying the stain. The instructions say to do so within 2 hours of applying. Would this make any difference?

bradnailer

I seldom sand an unfinished piece with over 150 grit and generally stop at 100 or 120. There's a theory that says that using up to 220 on unfinished wood will keep the wood from accepting stain as well. I get the 220 smoothness after stain and a few coats of oil.

cabinetman

If it's solid wood I would only sand to 150x. You could also try using a card scraper. Those dark marks may come out. Don't create a swale with too much sanding/scraping.

Streamwinner

Wow. I've been here less than a day and I'm already learning lots. Thanks a bunch.

user4178

I agree with the others, I think you sanded it with too fine a grit. 150 on a orbital should of been plenty enough.

clockdaddy

Which answer is right? ALL of the above. I should have been more specific than I was.
Color can be applied in three different ways; in the wood - by wipe staining; on the wood - by spray staining; or in the finish - by toning or shading. In your case, you are applying the stain so it soaks in the wood BUT, adding the stain control agent prevents the stain from getting too dark and helps to keep it more even. If you apply the stain while the stain control is wet or dry, depends on the effect you are looking for. The stain control, when wet, allows a bit more penetration of the stain. The two liquids mix and the color is allowed to become intermixed with the stain control.
When the stain control dries and you apply stain, there is a barrier formed by the stain control agent that prevents the stain from penetrating past the stain control shield.

Burnishing with sandpaper is the process of sanding the surface
so slick that the stain has a difficult time penetrating. This is more evident on hardwoods (i.e. oak, cherry. maple, poplar, etc.). Softwoods (i.e. pine, cedar, redwood, etc.) accept the stain much moreso so can be sanded with very fine sandpaper.

Typically, I'll sand (my final time) using 150 grit garnet sandpaper on bare wood and use either 220 grit garnet or 280 grit garnet for between the coats of finish depending on the type of wood and the shine desired. The slicker the sanding between coats, the higher gloss finish can be used and show less imperfections on the finish surface. The lower the shine, the more the finish hides surface imperfections.

Aberations in the wood or handling damage to the wood can be removed using a scraper if they are superficial. Any deeper will cause a dip in the surface. Scraping does have a tendency to burnish the wood and must be thoroughly sanded to open the wood pores which creates the possibility of more of a dip.

We can also get different appearances depending on the sanding method we use. That's another chapter and for your purposes. we'll save that for later.

As you can see, depending on the desired effect, the preparation process can and often is altered for different woods. There is no "wrong" or "right" answer. It all depends on what final appearance you're wanting. That's why your work should always be tried on scrap wood so you can see how each step effects the final product.

I hope I haven't confused matters for you.

CD

__________________
Life has a way of forcing wisdom upon us!

user4178

I'm wondering why he used a wood conditioner. It looks like Ash to me, and ash doesn't stain blotchy. But your right Clock, I'd say thats another part of his problem.

Gerry KIERNAN

Hi Streamwinner

That looks like fairly porous wood you are using. Perhaps you should be using a filler with your first staining to fill the pores.

Gerry

jerry

Looks like junk. You should ship it to me and I will dispose of it for you.

Regards

Jerry