Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Very poor staining

Advertisement

Expert: - 6/1/2009


Question
My sister had some Custom Cabinets made by a cabinet maker. They came unfinished but the cabinet maker suggested a person to stain them.  My sister was never told that maple did not take stain well and she chose a darkish color.  The cabinet staining came out all uneven.  So uneven they look really old and worn.  Is there a way of fixing this problem.  Was a primer supposed to be used before staining.  If so, what primer should have been used?
Can they be stripped down and started over? Or is she out of luck and have to end up painting them?  This is such a sad situation.  She paid a lot of money to have these cabinets custom made.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Ginnie, finishing Maple cabinets is tricky to do right, as this wood tends to "blotch" when staining, and it's worse with certain types of stain. Dye stains are usually used, and yes, some type of pre stain application is usually used. There are several methods to better control the stain absorption on Maple, but usually finishers use a techniques called "toning" to finish Maple.This entails using Sealers, maybe stains, then colored, dye based "toners" to control the penetration and even out the overall color of the cabinets and therefore blend it all into one even color. These toners are colored clears that are applied at different points in the finish schedule.The modern "Coffee", "Chocolate", "Espresso", type finishes that you see are done with these techniques. The dark colors are not done with the stain alone, they are accomplished with toning in conjunction with staining, and layering color and clear coats. What type of finish did this guy put over the stain? Whether or not you could reverse it will depend on what types of products he used, but it would have to be stripped down to bare wood again, a large undertaking to say the least. Not sure how to advise you, but it's imperative to ask for samples from a finisher before having them do it. This level of finishing takes serious skills, and knowledge of the techniques, as well as the proper materials and equipment. It's a far cry from Minwax stain and Poly from a can. Post back if need be- regards- Greg

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.