Staining stripped chairs


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Old 05-01-01, 05:11 AM
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I have recently stripped 6 dining chairs. I thought I did everything right. I used a paste stripper, cleaned with mineral spirits, sanded every inch, wiped with a tack cloth and applied the stain. The problem is that the stain is not taking. It just sits on the surface and feels sticky to the touch. Even after 24 hours it did not seem to be dry. I tried another coat of stain. I applied the stain with a cloth and found that the more I wiped a certain area, the more the stain disappeared. The chairs had a stain/paint finish on them that was very light in color. The chairs are made up of various hardwoods so therefore I did not put on a wood conditioner. Is this where I went wrong? Was there something I should have put on the chairs in between the sanding and staining? What do I do with this one chair that I have already stained and how do I do the next 5 chairs?
FYI: I am using Minwax stain, in a red mahogony. I would appreciate any advice.

Beth Guerra
 
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Old 05-01-01, 04:57 PM
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Beth:

A number of thoughts come to mind for your situation, but first, let's deal with the chair already stained. I'm assuming you don't like the results and want to get it back to match the other five, then stain everything like you want.

Steel wool and Naphtha will remove a lot of the color - but not all. After the chairs have dried (after the Naphtha), you'll need to resand to remove the last of the stain.

Now - You may have been TOO good at sanding. If the wood(s) in the chairs consist mostly of maple, fir or beech, the sandpaper used should be no finer than 120 grit. Finer sand papers will actually polish the wood, making it almost impervious to stain. So I'd suggest a rougher paper for your sanding.

Now - Minwax makes a complete line of stains in a gel-type. The same color you started with (red mahogany) is available in this type of stain. Use it. You can lay the color on heavier, and control the eveness of application much more easily. Be aware the suggested drying time on this stain is longer - usually 24 hours minimum, but it does a great job.

You will have to be very careful, as the different hardwood types will accept stain differently. That's why I suggest the gel stain - as I said, you can control the eveness of the stain much more easily.
 
 

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