Expert: Eileen Cronk - 5/3/2004

Question
I recently bought an antique poplar wood cabinet. It has been coated in several layers of paint, which I have stripped. I want to stain it a dark color but have heard some negative comments about staining poplar dark.

Do you have any suggestions regarding how to achieve a dark finish on poplar?  

Answer
Hi Micheal
So nice to hear from you.
The negative comments you heard about staining popular dark are true...poplar does not look good stained dark because the grain will grab the stain and go black almost and make the job look awful...trust me on this one :-)
Also be aware Micheal that if this cabinet was originally painted, and now is stripped, that will make the stain that much worse again, because the paint has penetrated into the wood which will not allow for proper stain penetration. It may appear to the naked eye that the paint is gone, but once again you will have to trust what I say...its not.
So you have a double whammy here :-), but thats not to say poplar is not great wood...personally I like working with it and I find it warps less than some other woods when used for indoor projects.
This winter I made an nice entertainment unit out of poplar my hubby had milled a few years back.
I finished it with a colored laquer.
This is what I recommend you use.
I have a sprayer, but you can purchase this in aresol cans in most paint departments. It comes in a wide range of shades.
I have had great results using the spray cans.
Hope this helps, but please get back to me if you need any clarification on anything.
Good Luck...This sounds like a great project
Eileen