On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:35:32 GMT, "storiesr" u33171@uwe wrote:


Anyone have any suggestions. This maple is so dense that it does not want to
take anything. When I inquired at plant that made the doors they say they
have never had this complaint before.

"Stain" consists of finely ground insoluble pigments suspended in a
vehicle; it darkens wood by settling in the pores. As you've
discovered, maple has tight, dense, closed grain and is difficult to
stain. Since what you really want to do is darken the wood, you could
try an aniline dye. Dyes are soluble in water or alcohol, and are
drawn into the wood fibers along with the solvent. Some oil finishes
also will darken the wood to some extent. Since only you know exactly
what look you want, it's difficult to tell you precisely how to
proceed. Your best bet will be to get some scraps of the unfinished
maple from the cabinet shop and experiment with a few different
techniques. Getting a good finish is not easy, and even experienced
woodworkers do a lot of experimenting on scrap pieces. Unfortunately,
you're learning the hard way that a high-visibility item like kitchen
cabinetry is not a good place to do your testing. Good luck.