"Toller" wrote in message
...
The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am
going
to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
coffee table and stained it to match the desk.

Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as
dark
as the mahogany pieces.

There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if
she
can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap.
Will
I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?

Poplar, with General Finishes' "Java" Gel Stain.

Example:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/CrftsmanCh18.jpg


That's one coat ... two, was much darker, but you could still see the grain;
three+ you couldn't even tell it was wood, in my tests.


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Last update: 8/8/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)