A gel stain will do a pretty good job, but if you want a dark rich color you
should spray on a dye first. The birch doesn't absorb stains very well but
will color easily with dye. Spraying it is the best way to get it even.

I recently had good luck getting a light clear cherry finish on birch
without spraying by using boiled linseed oil followed by ZAR Cherry gel
stain and then 2 coats of wipe-on poly. The best thing you can do is to try
your planned finishing technique on about a foot square piece of scrap
project wood before applying it to your project. Perform each step exactly
the way you plan to finish your project so you get a true sample. Then if
you don't like the results you haven't ruined the project and you can look
for another finish.

If you decide to dye it you should put a sealer coat over the dye. A
de-waxed shellac works great for this and dries quickly. Zinser Seal Coat
works great for this. Always lightly sand (or 0000 steel wool) between each
coat of finish to give the surface texture for the next coat to bond to
(sand the dye layer very lightly or not at all). Then make sure you clean
the surface and use a tack cloth to remove all sanding debris and steel wool
particles before applying the next coat. Everybody develops their own
finishing tricks. What works for them they tend to stay with. Making a test
piece is the best (and safest) way to develop your own technique without
creating a disaster. I save my test pieces and write down the finishing
steps on the back of them so I can refer to them and use them again in the
future.

--
Charley

"Dave" wrote in message
m...
What stain do you recommend for staining birch? Will it take a cherry or
oak
stain? I would like to build a cabinet and book case. I was able to buy 4
sheets cheap from a friend of mine. Thanks for your help.