Help with staining?

[auntie]

You might need to mix in a darker color. I used Jacobean when I was trying to match an old cherry piece that had a darker finish. Just test before applying.

[simpsongal]

I used Lenmar alcohol-based stain. It's a little pricier at $18/qt, but the stain is very rich. Minwax tends to be a little thin, so you'll be better off going with a more expensive, saturated stain.

[FoxInFiji]

Yeah Minwax is a very watered down stain. Good stains will have a higher % of pigments and are usually solvent based. With a thin stain like that you have to apply multiple coats to get a similar look which can lead to inconsistency and drip marks. You want a stain that only takes 1-2 coats to achieve the depth of color you want. I highly recommend Old Masters stains.

If you want to be able to apply and reapply to blend just the right color try their penetrating stain. It does a great job of bringing out the grain and absorbing into the wood instead of sitting on top. It really brings the wood to life instead of painting over it with color (think semi-transparent wood deck stain). I don't know how you can fix what you've already done though. You'd have to sand down the areas you've already stained to be able to use the penetrating stain on top.

[pitterwoo]

I haven't moved beyond Minwax, though I'm sure others are right that it's not the best product. I have mixed shades before like auntie said.

[FoxInFiji]

Dec 10, 2012 17:33:50 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

fox, couldn't i put another stain on top of the minwax? It's oil based, and I haven't put poly on it yet.

Yes if you stick with a wiping stain. Old Masters makes that too. But for the penetrating stain I was mentioning you really need to start with bare wood.