Leuf wrote:

I just tried a sample of General Finishes 'Mahogany' oil stain on
maple and it got pretty darn dark red with one coat. Oak is still
going to look like dark red stained oak no matter what you do to it
though.


-Leuf

Boy, you said it. Of all the stuff to color correctly oak can be the
worst due to its tubules. But on the other hand, with some instruction
it isn't all that big of a deal.

I rarely use pigment stains anymore, and almost always use dyes and gel
stains (I know, almost all of the cheaper gels are thickened pigment
stains) to get what I want. When refinishing, I have dyed pink
mahogany to look like Walnut, and Walnut to look like a classic cherry
(think Federalist/Duncan Phyfe colors here).

In my experience, for absolute color and shading, I have had the
absolute best success with dyes that have been properly thinned.
Honestly, as long as I have been doing this type of work
professionally, it surprises me almost every time I use dyes how well
they work. As I said farther up, just my opinion.

Robert