Swingman gave you a good site reference and I can't top that but I can
perhaps offer a couple of things you may want to try before you get out the
belt sander and back hoe.

Doubtful that you'll lighten the dark splotchy areas much with mineral
sprits but try some denatured alcohol on a about 4 layers of paper towel and
set it on a dark area and weight it down. After about 3 or 4 minutes and
before the alcohol has totally evaporated - lift off the towels and press
down with some clean dry towels to try and wick up any stain. The alcohol
will absorb into the fibers easier than mineral spirits and displace some of
the stain. Question is - will it be enough?

Failing that, I have salvaged a splotchy stain job by lightening the dark
areas as above or thru sanding then sealing again. But instead of the thin
stain, use a gel stain and follow the instructions. Then - there's always
latex paint............


Bob S.


"Matthew" wrote in message
...
I am having big problems with staining table purchased from a unfinished
furniture store. My mother in law bought the dining table (30 in square
top and skirt, four very nicely turned legs) for about $150. The wood
looks very much like cherry in grain, but is a light pink color, and about
the same weight and hardness as cherry.

I suspected troubles with staining, based on the texture of the sanded
surfaces, so I applied a wet coat of Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner.
In some areas, the conditioner absorbed VERY quickly, so I brushed on more
in these areas. (First warning, right?) After 15 min, I wiped the whole
peice dry with a shop towel.

After another 30 min or so, I applied Minwax Wood Finish, Provincial 211
(which is more of a stain than a finish) which is quite thin and very
dark. I brushed on the stain, let it set for 5 minutes, and wiped it off.
In most areas (80% of the peice) I got just the color I was looking for.
However, there are very dark areas all over, and on inspection, these are
the areas where the grain is not parallel to the surface of the wood (big
surprise) and the dark stain went well into the wood surface. I mean,
this was REALLY bad -- worse case I have run into so far.

OK, so what went wrong? Several things come to mind.
1) The stain could have been too thin; maybe a thicker stain would not
have been as likely to absorb so quickly.
2) If the wood conditioner helped, it didn't help much. I have used a
lot of Minwax Wood Finish as stain, and have had mostly good experience
with the wood conditioner, and have had **some** issues in the past, but
nothing like this!

So here come the questions:
1) Any advice on how to consistantly get even stain are appreciated. I
DAGS on the several versions of the topic, but someone else's personal
experience is always invaluable.
2) Any way to lighten the dark areas? I tried a rag and mineral spirits
to no avail. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
3) If I start over (a real damn possibility here) what brands and/or types
of stain, or staining technique, have given better results?

Thanks in advance. This group is a great resource, even for lurkers like
me

Matthew