oak wood-stain finish

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I am remodeling our bathroom and have a small problem. I had an oak vanity and a medicine cabinet made by a professional, and I stained them. I am making some trim from oak boards my uncle gave me. I cut the trim pieces, planed and sanded them and now I can't get boards to take stain like the vanity and cabinet, not dark enough. Can someone comment on what the problem may be. Maybe two different species of oak? Is there something I can do to make it darker? I appreciate any comments, Thank you Don W.

-- Don W. (rwrong@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

remove the stain,, and let the oak age,, then when you stain it again,, it will be darker

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 20, 2001.

I went through this. If you have some scraps you need to play with stains. Like making paint swatches.

I had to match a peninsula back in my kitchen with used oak cabinets I had put up. Best match was a layer of fruitwood stain with a layer of colonial maple on top. Go figure.

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 20, 2001.


There is a chance that the professional used a filler on the oak before staining. Oak is such an open-pored wood and applying filler helps evenly spread the stain when applied. Some professionals also color wood with an analine dye that blends the wood and filler. You may want to test some scrap pieces with filler and various colors in order to get a match. Some professionals also use ammonia fumes to darken oak, but use appropriate precautions if you attempt to darken wood in this manner. There are several wood finishing sites on the web that may help. One of the best experts on wood finishing is Jeff Jewitt. He has written numerous articles and is well respected. Hope this helps.

-- Ed (ecpubs@lynchburg.net), November 20, 2001.

If you can control your exposure time closely enough, the quickest and easiest - and permanent - was to darken your newer cuts is with ammonia fumes. It doesn't take much time, so if the difference is not great, be extremely watchful over the process.
Here's how: take a clear garbage bag large enough to fit the pieces to be treated, and place in it a Pyrex dish, e.g., that contains a half-cup or so of household ammonia. Coordinate this so the dish won't be spilling - for example, place the dish inside a tip-proof dogbowl or the like.
Place in the pieces to be stained, ensuring there is no overlapping, which will leave a stain shadow. When the fumes have done their work - anywaher from one minute to a few hours but more likely close to the former - voila.
Of course, you will want to practice on a scrap piece.

-- Audie (paxtours@alaska.net), November 20, 2001.

Ed jumped in before I could finish mine!

-- Audie (paxtours@alaska.net), November 20, 2001.


On a scrap piece of the same oak trim use OLD ENGLISH FURNITURE POLISH,the dark liquid version not the red tinted.Hand rub the polish with a cotton cloth.Depending on the amount of polish used you can make it as light or as dark as needed.I have gotten several good matches with this method.

-- David R. (srimmer@aeneas.net), November 20, 2001.

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to experiment with some extra pieces and see what works for me. Thanks again, Don W.

-- Don W. (rwrong@yahoo.com), November 22, 2001.

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