[casekernel]

I am preparing to stain an old oak table that I have sanded. Some old stain still remains. It looks like it might have been a cherry stain. The problem is that some areas have sanded out lighter than others esp. where I've sanded more enthusiastically. How do I even this out when I stain it? Do I need to apply a stain controller or just try to work the stain with a second coat in the lighter areas? I would like to get it as even as possible. By the way, I'm planning to stain it a cherry color. Appreciate your comments.

 

[Big Dave]

Hands down the best thing for you to do is to sand it so that it appears as even as possible before any stain is applied. It sounds to me like you need to resand and be as even and consistent as possible. If you still have remaining stain I would remove it before continuing on. Start with a fairly course grit say a 60 or 80 and remove all the stain and get an even texture to the peice. After that start moving up the grits till you get it smooth with no sign of sander marks or scratches.

My 2 cents worth.

 

[TexasTimbers]

Paint it. Just kidding.

i am finish-challenged I will let the pros answer this one and learn aloong with you as I have run into this before. I went with a darker stain but it didn't hide it, it highlighted it. :glare:

 

[Big Dave]

I'm no finish professional by no means but I have stained and finished alot of stuff and the one thing that I learned is that once a peice of wood is stained it will not take stain of a different color until the previous stain is removed.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you finish sanding it with a fairly fine grit of paper, say 180 or higher, the stain will come out lighter than what the picture on the can shows. To come close to the same color as is on the can you need to water pop the wood. What this is, is when you take a damp rag and wipe down the wood getting it evenly wet. Let this dry, then stain. What this does is opens up the grain of the wood after you have closed it by sanding. If you've got a peice of scrap wood I would do a test sample so you can see the color difference or even test it on the bottom of the table where it will not be seen.

 

[TexasTimbers]

Ahhhhh water pop nice trick Dave. I have wiped down after sanding with water, acetone, denatured alcohol etc. but I have never had any rhyme or reason.
Is using acetone and DA a bad idea?

 

[pitbull]

I dont like using water on oak, It tends to turn blue. For me I would sand down to as even a finish as possible first. Then depending on the stain you are using, gel, oil, water based will depend on the prep work. But me I prefer to use a sanding sealer prior to staining this way it will prevent blotches, Its not really staining but tinting. But if you go too dark it is easier too knock it back than if you stained the wood directly. Also with a sanding sealer it will help you fill the grain of the oak quicker than using up alot of the finish wether it be varnish or polish.

How are you finishing it. by hand, or by spraying.

 

[casekernel]

Do I dare use a belt sander on this with a finer grade sandpaper? Some of the boards are slightly cupped, so it would be nice to level things out. I have random orbital and oscillating sanders, but they seem to take forever and don't take off the "ridges" enough to get into the "valleys". Appreciate your comments so far and am electing to do the sanding, but want to do it right. Thanks.

 

[pitbull]

if its a delicate antique then i would be the scaper, and sander. If it can handle a belt sander then go for it. I say.

 

[Big Dave]

You might want to check around for any cabinet shops that would charge you a small fee to run it through their wide belt sander. It would flatten it perfectly and get rid of the stain, most likely with one pass. I've got a cabinet shop close to me that would do it for 10 to 20 bucks. Might be worth a try.

 

[pitbull]

You might want to check around for any cabinet shops that would charge you a small fee to run it through their wide belt sander. It would flatten it perfectly and get rid of the stain, most likely with one pass. I've got a cabinet shop close to me that would do it for 10 to 20 bucks. Might be worth a try.

good idea. I know I do it for people. I have a nice 3' wide 1.

 

[JCCLARK]

If you spray a lacquer based stain you can control it a little
better. I personally don't like doing it that way but it
does let you control the color and darkness pretty easily.:icon_smile: