Expert: Jamie Yocono - 9/29/2010

Question
I have a 1920's kitchen with maple cabinets that are a pecan
like color. I purchased four pieces of raw maple wood to
build three shelves in the corner of my kitchen. I sanded
each of them and applied MinWax Golden Pecan Stain to them.
The first application matched fairly well....but I applied a
second coat thinking that it would further protect the raw
wood and they turned orange. I then applied Mineral Spirits
to them to try and reduce the orange stain and it only made  
the wood look dryed-out. What can I do to salvage these
shelves and take out the orange - they should look more like
a blonde-pecan. Please advise. Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi Maria,

Sounds like you have a mess on your hands! I'll try to help.

First, you have to understand that stain itself does not protect the wood. It simply colors it. So your first mistake was in applying a second coat of stain to protect the wood. If the color of the wood was fine after that first coat, the proper thing to do would be apply a coat of varnish or lacquer to protect the wood.

The only way to fix this is to sand the wood, which will remove most of the stain on it. Some stain will remain deep in the pores of the wood, but most of it will come off. Then, stain it with just one coat of stain, as you did before. If the color is what you want, don't stain it any more.

Finally, it's time to seal the wood. I recommend a polyurethane (varnish) applied with a good brush. If you want, you can thin the first coat slightly with turpentine or pain thinner, maybe 3 parts poly and one part thinner. It will flow better on the wood, and will dry quicker. Lightly sand the wood, and wipe the dust off, and apply a second coat of poly. Let it dry completely between coats.

That should do the trick. Hope this helps, good luck. Write back if you need more help.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com