:confused: Help w/ STAINING OAK

Please help. I am trying to stain my oak kitchen cabinets a Minwax Red Mahogony. I have followed all of the directions including presanding the wood (100 grit) so that the stain takes and have even left it on the full 15 minutes before wiping it off. When I do that though, my cabinets just look slightly orangier oak than they did before. Why can't I stain my oak cabinets a mahogony color? What am I doing wrong? Please respond.

 

Were your cabinets previously stained?
Previously sealed with polyurethane or similar?

Then you cannot "restain" the cabinets without completely stripping them of all sealer, and sanding the previously stained wood down to bare wood....and even then, may not be able to achieve the color you desire.

More info might help.

 

One thing missing from the directions on all stains is that you should test the stain on a piece of scrap before you dive into the job. If you don't have much experience staining wood, you need to practice on scrap until you feel OK with doing it for real.

Like homebild says, more info is needed before any advice can be given. Were the cabinets stained before you started - or were they new wood?

 

After you sanded the wood down with 100 grit it closed the grain. Any time you use a fine sandpaper you should wet the wood down with water, tacking, to pop the grain to enable it to take the stain. It makes the first coat a little rough but with the next two coats of poly it works just fine. So sand, tack, wait to dry then stain. It also helps the wood to take the stain more uniform great for problem woods such as pine and maple to prevent a splotchy look. Good luck.

 

Ok, here's the background. The cabinets were stained a walnut color. About a year ago my husband sanded that completely off. He then just left them the natural wood grain color (no poly, no nothing). So then I resanded, just to rough up the grain a little, and applied the mahogony, and like I said, I got nothing.

Whats "tacking"? So you think I need to wet it down after? To "open" the grain? Please elaborate.

You know what looks good, is when I brush on the stain, (before I wipe it off) it looks about the right color. What if I just left it on? Would it ever dry? Could I poly over that? I know you proffesionals probably think that would be ugly, but I'm getting impatient. I'm even thinking about painting them a mahogony color! (I know, heaven forbid) That's my last resort though. Another question, what if I dilluted some paint (of the right color of course) and just painted that on and wiped it off. Would that work? Kind of like white washing, but with mahogony color. Thank you so much for answering my questions. I need some direction here.

 

Sanding wood with fine grit paper actually causes it to resist absorbing stains/finishes since you're removing the pores that would hold the stain or finish. Really fine grits (above 220) can actually burnish wood and it won't take a stain.

After sanding, you have the sawdust that is loose as well as "feathers" which are microscopic strands that are still partially attached to the board. If you wipe the board with a damp rag, the "feathers" curl and a light sanding will remove them. I've done this when I want a glass smooth finish on a table top or gunstock.

Tacking is the term used to describe a cleaning step to remove dust after sanding. It's usually done with a tack cloth which is an open weave fabric treated with a wax. I buy tack cloths at the local hardware for around $1.00 each.

You control the color of a stain (up to a point, anyway) by how long you leave it before you wipe it off. If you like the look when it's first applied then you should try putting on two (or three) coats rather than trying for one thick one.

Another possible solution would be to use a semi-transparent stain rather than a transparent stain. Semi-transparents have more pigments and will usually give you a deeper color. The trade-off is that you'll also lose some of the wood grain.

The real trick to getting a good stain/finish is experimentation. If you don't have the patience to experiment, you probably need to hire someone to do your cabinets. It will be expensive, but redoing a bad job will cost even more.

 

Dave is right, staining is an experience thing, despite what the manufacturer says. You didn't indicate what type of wood you are dealing with. That can make a big difference. Also, you are using one of the most difficult colors to get to a deep color. Leave it on longer and applying more coats are the best way to achive what you want. You might try a gel stain. It is sometimes easier to use. Practice on scrap wood (the same type as the cabinets if possible) to get the feel of the product.

Keep us posted.