I need to tone a pair of doors. If possible, I would like to match them to another set that will be nearby.

The first set was done with the following schedule.

1. Spray a coat of shellac so the grain will not bleed through.
2. Spray water based dye until I go the color I wanted.
3. Spray a few coats of hydrocote lacquer. (Note, I did not mix
the dye and Hydrocote to make a toner.)
4. Do the usual rub out to get a nice gloss finish.
5. Smile when the praises come my way!

The second set of (very expensive) doors is a harder wood.

1. I sprayed a coat of shellac keep the grain from becoming a
strong feature.
2. I mixed the water based dye with Hydrocote to form a toner.
3. I got a very poor finish that looked like large fisheyes.
4. I stripped the door by applying lacquer thinner in a cloth
over the surface to soften it. Then I used a card scraper to
take the lacquer off.
5. A bit of light sanding and I am back to the original door.


1. I think the problem was that the water based dye thinned the
Hydrocote (Before mixing in the dye it took 38 seconds to empty
the cup) was just too much water.

2. I just tried making a new "batch". The Hydrocote is straight out
of the 5 gallon jug. I put in a little dye.

3. The mix is almost instantly watery. It now takes about 20
seconds to empty the lacquer measuring cup that is filled with
the toner.



Is the problem that I should be putting only a little bit of dye
in the Hydrocote. Will it ever get enough color that way?

Len