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Staining Maple Cabinets storiesr 04-08-2007
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Posted by Norminn on April 9, 2007, 8:21 am


storiesr wrote:

> Desperately need some solid advice. We purchased some unfinished maple
> cabinet doors and drawers (fronts only) for our kitchen remodel.
> Have tried way too many options for staining with no success at all.
>
> 1. Water based raises the grain too much; why sand all over again when they
> came nice and smooth?
> 2. Penetrating stains will not penetrate.
> 3. Am told that I should not condiiton it.
> 4. Wiping stain will only penetrate if I weave it sit for close to an hour
> and then it is gumming whenI remove it.
> 5. Last resort: Tried a polyshade and it raises grain as well.
>
> Anyone have any suggestions. This maple is so dense that it does not want to
> take anything. When I inquired at plant that made the doors they say they
> have never had this complaint before.
>
> I am getting very frustated.
>
Take a door down to a good woodworking or paint store and ask about dye
stains. A decent shop will let you try before you buy. Maple is about
the most difficult wood to get stain into.

If you don't like "blotchy", take the maple back and get oak :o) Maple
usually has a "curly" grain.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1097

http://www.rockler.com/blog/index.cfm?CommentID=168

AppliancePartsPros.com, Inc.
Posted by on April 9, 2007, 8:47 am



> storiesr wrote:
>
>> Desperately need some solid advice. We purchased some unfinished maple
>> cabinet doors and drawers (fronts only) for our kitchen remodel.
>> Have tried way too many options for staining with no success at all. 1.
>> Water based raises the grain too much; why sand all over again when they
>> came nice and smooth?
>> 2. Penetrating stains will not penetrate.
>> 3. Am told that I should not condiiton it.
>> 4. Wiping stain will only penetrate if I weave it sit for close to an
>> hour
>> and then it is gumming whenI remove it.
>> 5. Last resort: Tried a polyshade and it raises grain as well.
>>
>> Anyone have any suggestions. This maple is so dense that it does not
>> want to
>> take anything. When I inquired at plant that made the doors they say
>> they
>> have never had this complaint before.
>>
>> I am getting very frustated.
>>
> Take a door down to a good woodworking or paint store and ask about dye
> stains. A decent shop will let you try before you buy. Maple is about
> the most difficult wood to get stain into.
>
> If you don't like "blotchy", take the maple back and get oak :o) Maple
> usually has a "curly" grain.
>
> http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1097
>
> http://www.rockler.com/blog/index.cfm?CommentID=168

Well, first you have to find exactly what type of maple you got.
Real sap maple will take some degree of stain.
I myself to not use stain anymore.
If it is real maple I suggest you use Tung oil as the first coat on a test
piece.
First start sanding with 120 grit then wash it with water to raise the
grain.
Then after the wood is dry begin sanding with 150 grit and work you way up
to 220 and even 320.
After that apply a coat of Tung oil. This should give it a little honey
tone.
Once it is dry apply a coat of Danish oil as directed. Let dry for 24 hours
and use an ultra fine steel wool to give an uniformed finish then apply and
another coat of Danish oil. If you feel like it you may apply a third coat.
Once the test piece is finish you and your wife can decide if you like it or
not.
Real maple is too nice of a wood to be stained.




Posted by GMoore on April 9, 2007, 12:35 pm


I've had good luck using tinted shellack as a base coat. After a light
sanding, apply your fovorite top coats. Shellack comes in several natural
tints and can be tinted easily with commercial tints.



Posted by dpb on April 9, 2007, 12:53 pm


> Desperately need some solid advice. We purchased some unfinished maple
> cabinet doors and drawers (fronts only) for our kitchen remodel.
> Have tried way too many options for staining with no success at all.
...

Rather than try to describe it in a short response, I'll point you to
the pros --

Teri Masachi wrote a really nice article in FWW not _too_ long ago--
let's see, oh, there it is--

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2847

Also, I recall in the past Lonnie Bird had an article on his way to
achieve an "old-appearing" finish on maple and anything by either Jeff
Jewitt or Chris Minck is bound to be worth reading...a search for
"maple" and "finishing" will undoubtedly find a wealth of
information. If you're really lucky you're local library will have
FWW back issues...

Upshot is, as others have noted, maple is a little tricky owing to
it's grain. Depending on whether it is "hard" or "soft" maple, makes
a difference as well, but the general techniques of these articles
will go a long way to solve your problems and give you some
alternatives depending on the look you need/want...

HTH...


Posted by Bill on April 9, 2007, 2:35 pm




>Anyone have any suggestions. This maple is so dense that it does not want to
>take anything. When I inquired at plant that made the doors they say they
>have never had this complaint before.

"Stain" consists of finely ground insoluble pigments suspended in a
vehicle; it darkens wood by settling in the pores. As you've
discovered, maple has tight, dense, closed grain and is difficult to
stain. Since what you really want to do is darken the wood, you could
try an aniline dye. Dyes are soluble in water or alcohol, and are
drawn into the wood fibers along with the solvent. Some oil finishes
also will darken the wood to some extent. Since only you know exactly
what look you want, it's difficult to tell you precisely how to
proceed. Your best bet will be to get some scraps of the unfinished
maple from the cabinet shop and experiment with a few different
techniques. Getting a good finish is not easy, and even experienced
woodworkers do a lot of experimenting on scrap pieces. Unfortunately,
you're learning the hard way that a high-visibility item like kitchen
cabinetry is not a good place to do your testing. Good luck.

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