How To Finish

[Cooler]

Barnes and Noble has store fixtures that are dark like that.  They used gel stain.  Everywhere the fixtures have had some shop-wear the blond color shows through. 

I used gel stain for a project a while back.  I first used a penetrating stain so if the gel stain wears off the exposed areas will still be pretty dark. 

In any event, I could not get a dark enough effect using just the penetrating stain.  Gel stains will get much more opaque.  The down side is that some of the grain disappears.

[jteneyck]

GF Java Gel Stain on hard maple, 1 and 2 coats:



And after clear coating with ARS or some other gloss varnish, but probably ARS:



John

[Mike 55]

GF Java Gel Stain on hard maple, 1 and 2 coats:



And after clear coating with ARS or some other gloss varnish, but probably ARS:



John

John,

Thanks for taking the time to do a sample. The wife likes both of those samples. Today I made a prototype (frame only) of the wedge table and end table out of some scrap SYP I had. Since space is a issue I made the top out of cardboard to see what looks good. Tomorrow I will make the real McCoy out of maple. Next week I will look for a top.

Mike

[jteneyck]

John,

Thanks for taking the time to do a sample. The wife likes both of those samples. Today I made a prototype (frame only) of the wedge table and end table out of some scrap SYP I had. Since space is a issue I made the top out of cardboard to see what looks good. Tomorrow I will make the real McCoy out of maple. Next week I will look for a top.

Mike

No thanks required.  I made that sample several years ago just to see if Java gel stain could really give deep color on maple.  Happily, you see that it can, easily.  

John

[Cooler]

The nice thing about gel stain is that you can adjust the darkness of the stain by rubbing off some more of it with a rag (while it is still wet). 

It also does not blotch, an advantage with pine and maple.

The disadvantage (which I stated earlier) that any hard wear areas will expose the blond color of the original wood (just like paint would).

[jteneyck]

The nice thing about gel stain is that you can adjust the darkness of the stain by rubbing off some more of it with a rag (while it is still wet). 

It also does not blotch, an advantage with pine and maple.

The disadvantage (which I stated earlier) that any hard wear areas will expose the blond color of the original wood (just like paint would).

Even dye is only a couple of thou into the wood, as best I could tell.  Dye a piece of maple, let it dry, then cut it in two and inspect the edge.  You cannot see how deep it penetrated with the naked eye, and trying to measure it with anything less than a good microscope is just a guess.  Dye is good stuff, but I think you will be in for a surprise if you chip the finish off a piece of furniture that was dyed underneath.  

John

[Cooler]

Even dye is only a couple of thou into the wood, as best I could tell.  Dye a piece of maple, let it dry, then cut it in two and inspect the edge.  You cannot see how deep it penetrated with the naked eye, and trying to measure it with anything less than a good microscope is just a guess.  Dye is good stuff, but I think you will be in for a surprise if you chip the finish off a piece of furniture that was dyed underneath.  

John

Yes, I agree.  But gel stain is sort of like a thinned out paint.  It will wear off easily enough.  The clear topcoat that we would likely apply goes a long way towards preventing the bare wood syndrome. 

The Barnes and Noble wood fixtures (some of which were just changed out at our local store after 22 years) seemed more like semi-transparent paint.  I am certain that there was no topcoat.  Whatever they applied, was both the stain and the topcoat.

[Ridgeway]

What do you guys think about substituting clear poplar for maple?  In my experience it takes stains better than maple.

[jteneyck]

What do you guys think about substituting clear poplar for maple?  In my experience it takes stains better than maple.

You're right, poplar will take stain much easier than maple.  The downside is it dents a lot easier.  

John

[Rob Young]

You're right, poplar will take stain much easier than maple.  The downside is it dents a lot easier.  

John

This.

I've done so on request due to price a few times. Looks fine but will dent. I try to spend a bit more time easing edges, almost to the point of a visible chamfer, as a way to combat the dings that corners of legs endure.

I can get clear poplar for about 1/2 the cost of hard maple. Soft maple falls in between, but tends to be a mix of species around here so can be "softish" or "hardish", just depends on the batch.