Expert: Eileen Cronk - 6/3/2008

Question
I building and staining maple kitchen cabinets and used Waco Dark Walnut finishing stain. The wood took the stain uneven and initially thought I could live with it... Almost 6 months later I want a darker solid color. Can I apply a wood dye?  I don't believe the Waco product can be stripped off.  What do you suggest?

Answer
Hi Tammy
Nice to hear from you.
This question comes up continually.
What you are experiencing is very common.
First off we must realise that maple is a miserable wood to stain.
It rarely takes a stain evenly, and rarely takes color.
That is why maple cabinets are sprayed with lacquers that have color.
I have used a sealer on maple before staining but I had dismal results as the seal coat did not absorb at all into the wood.
When the stain was applied it looked awful.
The present stain you applied will come off with paint stripper as it will not have absorbed into the wood.
You ask if you could use wood dye.
The answer is yes but its tricky stuff to apply.
And it cannot be applied over the present finish.
Its not something I would attempt on my kitchen cabinets but if you attempt it then try it on some wood scraps from the building project.
If you have none, then try on the back of one door only.
I would not strip all the doors ..just one to test.
And by all means test a seal coat and then the stain..who knows you may like the result.
Tammy I am sorry I cannot be more positive about this but its just the way maple is.
Perhaps also consider sending the doors and drawers out to be professionally sprayed.
Good Luck
Kindest Regards
Eileen