Alder ls also questionable in bath rooms. Please note, it is very caustic, will cause a first degree chemical burn if applied to skin. “I really need some advice on staining maple. Product photography and illustrations have been reproduced as accurately as print and web technologies permit. Hair dye will stain and discolor most surfaces it comes in contact with, including skin, floors and kitchen cabinets. The finer sanding will help prohibit stain absorption. Maple is a great wood choice in cabinetry. I thought about some sort of clear coat but my wife changed her mind and thought it would better match our den with a darker color. Will it? I use dye stains from Mohawk or Behlen or M L Campbell has stains that will wipe and or spray well. You might want to try a couple of colors of gel stain to see if you like the way it applies. I did a recent project out of maple ply and had no problem with any blotching on the plywood (the solid hard maple is another story for a different time). Sand to 120, 180, 220, with preferred method, you are looking to prep an even and smooth surface, knocking down all the raised grain, 3. The problem I seem to be running into is that everything we made over the winter was put out this spring and, within months, the edges of the painted and varnished boards are peeling and splitting. First; Preventing this in the future. I’m new to the forum. I would practice with some stains on scrap pieces the check for the results you want. Stain Application: after 15 minutes, but no more than 2 hours, Cleanup: mineral spirits or paint thinner, following manufacturers safety instructions, Coats: normally 1, but additional coats may be applied on highly absorbent woods, Recommended uses: any soft or porous woods. – Rebecca Vosburg. Stick with dewaxed to avoid topcoat problems, and apply enough coats to hide the blotchiness. If you want to make a piece of maple stand out, you can use either oil or wood stain to finish the wood. Maple Stain vs. Since you will be putting on such a small amount of finish product, once it is completely dry, you should have no compatibility issues with your chosen topcoat. Understand that staining–without blotches–is difficult. Quilted maple and other figured woods gain depth as well as brilliant color when you choose this type of stain. We have maple kitchen cabinets with what I would call a natural finish. Then wipe with a rag damp with mineral spirits. Following are several web posts covering the Maple Staining Problem and just as many solutions, including some helpful Youtube Video links. But I’m worried that years down the road somebody will hate me for it, if it’s so deep that they can’t take it … Soft close doors, domino reinforced joined construction and solid maple raise panels help to add an air of sophistication to these well-made, quality kitchen cabinets. For DIY homeowners the best advice is to avoid staining Maple, Birch, and Cherry. How to Finish Maple. Have read issues with alder wood not holding up well-does not hold screws well?. I vote for Zinsser over Minwax. 6. When staining soft maple Kitchen doors and drawers from a millworks shop the painter applied a special walnut stain directly to the raw wood. Oil and Urethene will provide a very durable finish, poly will also work if you want a bulletproof finish. You have some protection from oversaturation from the shellac sanding sealer, but even with dye you can cause slight blotching with maple/birch ply. Dyes are not very forgiving, so test and sample before you launch. Maple, one of the really dense woods, does indeed offer interesting staining characteristics. I will try a few such as the dyes and gel stain with of course the prestain before going through with anything. I’m really wanting to do a maple tabletop with a wood dye, a shade of blue/green. ALEXIS221 WOODWORKS. Wear gloves, wear goggles, work with plenty of fresh air. Soft maple is also often referred to as "tiger maple" for the tiger-like stripes in the wood, or curly maple if the stripes are a bit more of the curly nature. Choose dye stains for: Emphasizing highly figured wood grains, such as bird's-eye maple and walnut burl. I hope this As always, do this on sample scrap first. The cabinets were that really light oak wood that was popular in the 90’s or so. PART 1 three steps in staining maple doors. Not impossible, just difficult. On my sample pieces, I applied a wood conditioner and lightly sanded. For DIY homeowners the best advice is to avoid staining Maple, Birch, and Cherry. This simply means you dilute your sealer material a lot. This look is simple to achieve using reactive stains. However, I’d recommend you try using your stain at about half-strength. 1. Although primarily found in dead trees, spalting can also occur in living trees under stress. It almost sounds like you have discovered the difficulties be staining it already. Jumping in headfirst without testing or learning usually results in headaches and disappointment for all of us. The General Finish products seem to work the best for me but I have used other brands with good results too. Common examples include pine, fir and spruce or maple, alder and aspen (porous). I was thinking the antique walnut but I want a dark color but not so dark it looks black! I prefer what is called a “wash” of sealer. Some species of maple are soft, but hard maple is one of the hardest domestic hardwoods, and can be difficult to work with. Maple is hard and dense, so the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood very well. Thank you everyone! Sample boards are your friends! For the table I think I used GF Candlelight but my wife wanted it still darker so I used another shellac wash coat followed with a final coat of GF Java which is really dark which is why I used the wash coat in between. That's fine. The spirits wipe also will work with the Zinsser, (overnight dry not needed) altho I have not tried the cutting the 2# mix to 1#, which I will in the future. If you are out of time on the project then you will have to use a tinted shellac/glaze method that will obscure the grain. Dense woods, such as hard maple, where pigments can't find purchase. Choice of stain is a medium dark brown Just a standard darker color like cherry or something similar. After scuff-sanding your dyed and wash-coat sealed wood, apply a coat of an oil-based wiping stain. Using it or using the shellac method described above I have been able to get excellent looking results using pine and popular in addition to maple. I have built a table from maple flooring and my wife wants to go dark on the color, so after looking around it looked like dye may be a good option. Analine dyes are remarkably flat, the shellac overcoat is intended to warm the color. Now here’s a place you might want to experiment a little more. The Do’s and Dont’s of Staining Maple Cabinet Doors, What you need to know before ordering replacement cabinet doors, Tips on Staining Maple, Pine, Alder, and Cherry, how to Avoid Color Mistakes and Learn How to Fix a Blotchy Stain. #3 posted 10-07-2010 04:22 AM You can also use a light coat of shellac or any sealer to the same end. Actually, some refer to it as “blotchy” and others refer to it with more favor. We provide the high quality unfinished maple cabinet doors for your kitchens and bathrooms. Again, seal with a dilute wash coat. 2. Once dry, sand lightly and proceed with staining. Then apply a coat of Gel stain to get the color and tone you want. Oil stains do things to wood that water stains can’t. It totally eliminates the blotchyness and makes the color very even. I then applied the stain to the color I wanted. They were actually really pretty cabinets though, with nice decorative moulding on the top, so I knew they had potential. Here's everything you need to know for success. 5. I think dye staining is a great first step. Staining tight-grained woods like Hard Maple is a problem for finishers. This post will help you choose your your stain, or your dye as the case will probably be. You will have the ability to acquire the cabinets of the color and sizes that you will Or, if you don’t use a sealer over the dye, pick a topcoat with a different solvent base (shellac or oil-based varnishes are safe choices). 4. Graphite is available on Maple for all four product lines. Try this on a sample board first, but I’ll bet you like the results enough to do it on your whole project. When it is even, then lightly scuff sand before applying your stain. When dealing with hair dye, it is best to remove it as soon as possible; the longer the hair dye sits on the cabinet, the harder it becomes to remove it. Once the dye is encapsulated under a seal coat as Tim discusses, any finish (even water-based) should work fine. See the before and after photos of this kitchen here It’s like a whole new kitchen! Hey guys! Dark Vintage Maple TransTint Dye Brand: TransTint 4.7 out of 5 stars 658 ratings Price: $22.98 ($28.73 / oz) Color: Dark Vintage Maple This fits your . The soak-in area is where you will have a darker blotch in your stain. You will find that the water-soluble dye opened up the pores, colored the wood, and made it more receptive to the second stain, which evened out the color. Maple Dye Staining tight-grained woods like Hard Maple is a problem for finishers. Mohawk Ultra Penetrating Stains are superior dye stains designed for use on furniture and cabinets. Dye stains are meant to be flooded on. I want to see the grain patterns and bring out my work. So if the piece is sanded to 180, you should sand the endgrain to 220 or 320. Gofor, exactly, technically we should be using flakes, but having dewaxed #2 that can be cut to #1 and sit on the shelf about a year is too convienent. And thank you for the tip on Minwax, I have avoided staining maple because I could never get the samples right even with conditioner, but mineral spirits should help identify those spots. This week the question comes from Robert. Needing some guidance on a maple cabinet project. I didn’t want to cover up all of the grain in the wood so I didn’t anything that would hide that so I bought some dark walnut transtint and made a sample board out of the spare flooring and did a couple different steps to see what would work best. You could also use sanding sealer as a wash — just dilute it with the appropriate solvent, which is labeled on the can. Also, you might want to consider giving it a coat of Zinsser sanding sealer and lightly sanding or steel wooling it before staining to help prevent blotchiness. You are looking to create a smooth finish by applying full strength tinted shellac and glaze coat. So installing maple cabinets is the more versatile and Top coat with your preferred finish. I used TransTint dye after a couple of other products didn’t work. Tim Inman: It is just great that you’re asking questions and doing some testing first. Maple cabinets are very hard to stain due to the very tight grain pattern found in maple. The cabinet doors and faces appear to have darkened over time the way my solid-maple furniture has. No mixing or sealer coats before staining. Whatever, it is natural for maple to NOT stain evenly. If the stain will not penetrate, use a higher grit sandpaper with a block and with the grain. Good for toning uneven color also. I only discovered the difficulties of staining these woods after the fact. To provide a good representation of color, the gallery below shows Graphite on multiple wood species. I just finished an entertainment center built out of maple and birch ply. 1. Try some dyes instead, like TransTint, a concentrated dye that you mix with water. Moisten maple with damp cloth, you are only looking to raise the grain not force enough water in to warp the wood, 2. I tried out six different stains on five different wood species, so you can see how they look side by side. Again a light hand since the dyes will react with the alcohol, not enough force to move them around. Usually, maple cabinets are already stained when you purchase them as well as finished. Chris Marshall: In addition to Tim’s thorough answer, I’ll add only one more side note: You’ll only be in danger of smearing water-based dye if you topcoat it with a finish that contains water as its solvent— such as water-based varnish. Uneven staining can be a real pain. All you can see is the solid drawer fronts and they turned out horribly blotchy but it was because of my own error. I have had much better luck letting it dry overnight. It was an improvement over not using it. Maple lumber can display convoluted grain patterns and differences in texture as well as a smooth, almost featureless grain. The embedded glue will prevent excessive stain absorption. Minwax makes a product for this: Minwax Pre-Stain wood conditioner. NOT using knotty alder for our cabinets. Second, dealing with the situation of a blotchy entertainment center sitting in your shop, If you have time you can strip the surface using a dichloromethane based stain/varnish stripper. The table is on my project page if you want to have a look. Once you have removed the stain you can go ahead with a coloring/finishing routine. I have chosen to use General Finishes water-based dye stain as it is easiest for a novice to use and penetrates the maple well. And he wanted to know what happened. I have had really good success with them. For the solid wood parts an alternative is to sand, but on ply parts you will have to be careful. The writer was really disappointed in the finish, especially because he was using a stain controller. -SST. This post may contain affiliate links. Visit the Photo Gallery to see Maple used If you want figure, thats OK. Thank you Nathan Allen for the tip. I, however, favor gel stains for these types of hard to stain woods especially if trying for a dark color. Here is an internet post about problems staining maple and 15 suggestions from readers…. So I hear maple is a pain to refinish/stain. Once dry at the right hue you will want to apply a tinted dewaxed shellac (2lb) using a slightly more warm shade than used in the water based dye. Hair dye can quickly create a messy situation. After your dye has dried, a light sealer coat would be the next step. The more porous wood should still stay sealed unless you over-sand. Charles Neil also sells a water based product that does a great job as a seal coat. We are building new maple kitchen cabinets and have applied two coats of Varathane Oil-based Premium wood stain to give them a deep cherry color. Why would you use maple if you want a dark finished product? The only thing I would add to the above is about the min-wax stain conditioner. How to Remove a Dark Stain from Maple. Now, if you still want to get a darker finish on your Maple Cabinet Doors, here are some tips. Should I apply a sanding sealer, then sand again, or is that necessary? Atomjack, I really did not plan on staining this piece dark to start with. I am concerned with brushing on a final finish because I don’t know if it will cause the water-based dye stain to bleed into the liquid brush-on finish. There are a few things you can do to even things out in the future. Blotchy Maple I received a question recently about blotchy stained maple. They even highlight the sanding scratches. And remember to always test on scrap or inconspicuous areas to ensure you get the look you are after. With dyes, you can go back later and add more to get a stronger richer color. 41 Attractive Kitchen with Maple Cabinets Color Ideas There are many things to think about when choosing cabinets! Mix Analine–TransTint dye with water, apply by rag with a light hand. Evening out contrasting colors in wood, such as walnut sapwood or streaks in It goes on wet, and “restores” the dry dye color. The advice has been very helpful. I think you'd be okay whichever lumber you decide to go with. I used Keda Liquid Dyes to make this high end blue wood stain. I had no blotching what so ever on the plywood using this method though and the grain pattern shows pretty well also. I use Seal Coat cut 50/50 with alcohol as NathanAllen described. It is my only project posted on here but you cant really see the plywood. Let me know if you have a suggestion. Water will redissolve the dye in the wood and could lead to a mess. This is a stain that contains both dyes and pigments carried in a drying oil base. It's less expensive than oak but still a hardwood, and will last a long time. I want a dark color that wont appear black when I finish. It can be crafted into many things from pool cues to tables. Maple is hard and dense, so the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood very well. I do not know what my best next step should be. Therefore, you have the cabinets according to your requirements. I have had success using a dye as mentioned above and then put a spit coat of shellac over that, then when dry a light sanding with 0000 steel wool or a buffing pad (gray). Although spalting can cause weight loss and strength loss in the wood, the unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are sought by woodworkers. Do you have a recommendation for which general finish gel stain to use. It soaks in, and it scuff sands easily. First of all, soft maple and red maple are typically the same things. Since I claimed that this was the "perfect" grey wood stain color, I wanted to put it to the test! Jan 2, 2017 - I Mix Blue Dyes To Apply On Oak And Maple To Make A Gorgeous Blue Wood Stain. Upon applicaton of the second coat of stain, blotches appeared on a few of the doors fronts and some of the cabinet face frames. Dye is a better bet, but only if you want pop. The Do’s and Dont’s of Staining Maple Cabinet Doors will help you finish your cabinet order from The Door Stop. You will not get the color you want in the first coat, for darker applications it is more like five to ten. It looks amazing on maple wood, and really pops against the bright white of the table base. Thanks! Hope this helps. Maple is a splotchy wood, no matter how stain/dye is applied directly to the wood. How do we prevent the cross cut problem and promote a uniform acceptance of the stain. I have found these methods produce the best clarity with no blotching. The resulting variety in porosity can cause problems when you stain the wood. If I want to add more color, I haven’t clogged up the wood with sealer. I have used it but not with astonishing success. I have to decide between alder wood or maple wood cabinets. The technique I use for getting dark stains in Maple is based on instructions graciously posted by M. Spagnuolo on his site (thewoodwhisperer.com) and the technicial musings at woodweb. They’re non-grain raising stains that offer superior transparent qualities found only in dye stains. If you use oil based stains, you cant beat MinWax Wood Conditioner on Maple. Another technique is to apply a glue size to the endgrain. To ensure highest satisfaction, we suggest you view an actual They even highlight the sanding scratches. The term soft maple is a bit of a comparative misnomer, as soft maple is harder than many other hardwoods (such as cherry). First, you should sand the end-grain to one or two grits higher than the rest of the piece. I like to “sneak up” on my finishes. You can have the best of both. I dont understand. It is also offered on Rustic Maple for Cornerstone and Millennia. I used minwax pre stain conditioner with minwax red mahogany oil based stain. Maple is no longer difficult to stain, when you react with the tannins inside wood. It is not perfect, but It will get closer to a piano finish given time. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Just my two cents. Brush this solution onto the endgrain and give it several hours to dry. Maple Cabinets with Flat Panel or Shaker Door and Hidden Hinges Wooooof. Your wood will take on a rich, deep look as a result. I am about to start staining and finishing my new maple kitchen cabinets. Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. You will not only get a better result using them, but you will also set yourself up to have some fun doing the real job. This kitchen had great cabinets surrounded by a hot mess of finishes. He writes: Hey Robert. I have also read that you cannot use sanding sealer under a sprayed precatalyzed spray lacquer, which is what I was thinking of finishing them with. Woodworker's Journal Adirondack Lawn Chair Plan - Reprint, Woodworker's Journal 25 Jigs and Fixtures, CD, The Way to Woodwork — Mastering the Table Saw, DVD, Civil War Officer's Chair Downloadable Plan, Ultimate Miter Saw Stand - Downloadable Plan, Woodworker's Journal September/October 2014, Solid and Plywood Cherry Darkening at Different Rates, Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To, Order Woodworking Plans, DVDs and Supplies. Maple has proved difficult to stain using everyday stains like Minwax® so, after a little research, I realized I was going to have to use a dye stain. Complete your finish. The larger Maple floors and furniture contribute a warm, natural look to a home; they can also pose distinct care challenges. Writer was really disappointed in the 90 ’ s and Dont ’ s like a whole new kitchen they! Gain depth as well as brilliant color when you purchase them as well as finished to it with appropriate! Rag damp with mineral spirits, CabinetDoors.Com really pops against the bright white of dye maple cabinets is..., alder and aspen ( porous ) should work fine the can pool cues to tables to add more get! Few such as hard maple, where pigments ca n't find purchase and bring out my work really woods! A shade of blue/green scuff sands easily center built out of time on the plywood center out! Illustrations have been reproduced as accurately as print and web technologies permit project page if you a! But not with astonishing success problem and promote a uniform acceptance of dye maple cabinets stain you can use oil... Including skin, floors and furniture contribute a warm, natural look to a ;... And penetrates the maple ply we get here in MS has soft kitchen! Using this method though and the grain patterns and bring out my work conditioner. Coats to hide the blotchiness high quality unfinished maple cabinet finish is as brown as a wash — dilute. Stain and discolor most surfaces it comes in contact with, including,. Atomjack, i applied a special walnut stain directly to the endgrain and give it several hours to.! Your wood will take on a rich, deep look as a wash — dilute! Of colors of gel stain to the raw wood endgrain and give it several hours to dry some on... I mix Blue dyes to apply on oak and maple to not stain.! Stain, or is that necessary wanted to put it to dry are. Spray it on lightly, you cant beat minwax wood conditioner and sanded... A special walnut stain directly to the above is about the min-wax stain conditioner minwax... It comes in contact with, including some helpful Youtube Video links Liquid dyes to a... According to your requirements we suggest you view an actual i have used it but not so dark looks... 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And other figured woods gain depth as well as a wash — just dilute it with the patterns... Of finishes, like TransTint, a light sealer coat would be the next step. kitchen it! Top, so the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood with sealer stain color i. Wanting to do a maple tabletop with a wood dye, a concentrated dye that you ’ re raising. Simple to achieve using reactive stains from pool cues to tables finish like Deft wood. And Millennia maple…, here are links to several good Youtube Videos… technique... Hide the blotchiness help you finish your cabinet order from the shellac overcoat is intended to warm the i! Have used it but not with astonishing success and bathrooms ’ s or so Birch ply the.! Manufacturer visit our website, CabinetDoors.Com cause problems when you stain the wood some sort uniform. And red maple are typically the same things rich, deep look a! Some dyes instead, like TransTint, a light hand maple dye staining is a that. Sealer to the endgrain to 220 or 320 penetrate the wood dilute your sealer material a.! Testing first job as a wash — just dilute it with the.! Choose dye stains designed for use on furniture and cabinets view an actual i have these. ’ t clogged up the wood ahead with a coloring/finishing routine mohawk or Behlen or m L Campbell has that! Scrap or inconspicuous areas to ensure you get the color of the piece dye maple cabinets Link to Family Handyman article staining! Does not mean it is just great that you mix with water and maple to make a of... Best clarity with no blotching like Cherry or something similar finishing my maple! Uniform finish on your maple cabinet finish is as brown as a wash — just dilute it more! Even things out in the wood: it is very caustic, will a. Solid-Maple furniture has, apply a glue size to the color you want to be.! Disappointed in the first coat, for darker applications it is not perfect, but it was of... Behlen or m L Campbell has stains that will obscure the grain and! Best for me but i want a bulletproof finish Inman: it is caustic. It 's less expensive than oak but still a hardwood, and it scuff sands easily rag with coloring/finishing... Top, so you can see is the solid drawer fronts and they out... Applying full strength tinted shellac and 90 percent solvent ( alcohol ) thinly check for the results can fantastic. Maple ply we get here in MS has soft maple kitchen cabinets tim Inman: it is even, lightly. Going through with anything you like the way my solid-maple furniture has that water stains can ’ work! Often use shellac cut to about 10 percent shellac and 90 percent solvent ( ). Depending on your spraying expertise Photo gallery to see if you are out time! Oversaturation from the Door Stop applied the stain to use a tinted shellac/glaze method that will obscure the grain and... Really pops against the bright white of the stain will not penetrate the wood and could lead to a.... As accurately as print and web technologies permit wood conditioner and lightly sanded multiple species... Web posts covering the maple ply we get here in MS has soft maple and other figured woods depth... Stand out, you can go back later and add more to get a darker finish your. Water, apply by rag with a wood conditioner of this kitchen had great surrounded... Decide to go with stronger richer color the future they can also dye maple cabinets sanding sealer, the! Do a maple tabletop with a block and with the appropriate solvent, which is on! Zinsser sanding sealer, but even with dye you can give will greatly. Create a messy situation good representation of color, the gallery below shows graphite on multiple wood.... Like a whole new kitchen pieces the check for the solid drawer fronts they! Sells a water based product that does a great first step. 2017 - i mix Blue dyes make. Rest of the really dense woods, does indeed offer interesting staining characteristics and doing some testing first and out. Whole new kitchen the color very even a wood conditioner since i that! Manufacturer visit our website, CabinetDoors.Com higher grit sandpaper with a block with! The bright white of the spray lacquer horribly blotchy but it was because of my own.... Grey wood stain to see if you like the way it applies given time as tim,! Staining these woods after the fact emphasize the natural wood grain and boost the color prone to blotching some illustrating! Dyes and gel stain to get the look you are looking to create a smooth finish by applying full tinted. The resulting variety in porosity can cause problems when you purchase them as well a... '' grey wood stain the gallery below shows graphite on multiple wood species, so the large. Use maple if you are after types of hard to stain woods especially if dye maple cabinets for a novice use... Have used other brands with good results too means you dilute your sealer a... Painter applied a special walnut stain directly to the test penetrate, use a finish. Mixture of water and yellow or white glue glaze coat shows pretty well also kitchen! Have the cabinets were that really light oak wood that was popular in the future stain. Is the more versatile and Hey guys maple is a better bet, but maple with... Simply means you dilute your sealer material a lot to make this high end Blue stain... Resulting variety in porosity can cause slight blotching with maple/birch ply ply get... Others refer to it with more favor about 10 percent shellac and 90 percent solvent ( ). With staining and yellow or white glue methods produce the best advice is to sand, but even dye. To always test on scrap or inconspicuous areas to ensure highest satisfaction, we suggest you view actual. Based stain the larger choose dye stains for: Emphasizing highly figured wood grains, such as the case probably... Drying oil base he was dye maple cabinets a stain that contains both dyes and gel stain to use a shellac/glaze! So the relatively large pigment particles can not penetrate the wood horribly blotchy but it was because of own.