How well does poplar take stain?
 

I never thought of poplar as a very desirable wood for staining, at least
until recently. My son, a construction superentendent, just finished an
office mall and the architect called for dark cherry red stained poplar for
a confrence room door, base and chair rail trim. My son balked but the
architect told him to have the finisher do it to specs and it looks great!

I did a project using poplar a while back and it turned fine. I used
minwax gel stain (mahogany I think), and then finished with shellac. I
was going for a lighter color than you, but I'm sure it would work with
any color. I didn't have any problems with blotching.

The front is made out poplar, and the sides are birch ply...
http://www.eskimo.com/~swilson/proje...ges/Closed.jpg

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 18:59:37 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote:

I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My
local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.

Poplar is considered a "secondary" wood and typically used for
interior furniture pieces where the wood is not obvious. HD is the
wrong place to buy hardwoods. If you want a reddish appearance,
consider hard maple, cherry or red oak For a few more dollars
mahogany has a beautiful rich red color.

My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses
cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wipes it with
Denatured alchohol first. I forget his exact words, but it does something
to the pores so that all the peices take the stan in the same manner, for
consitancy of the finish. Perhaps someone else could comment on this
further.

Dave




"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote in message
...
I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local
HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:51:16 -0500, "Cox West" wrote:


My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses
cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar.

Wow. Is the job sold at a much lower price than cherry?

At least he could use birch or maple. Poplar isn't all that durable.

Barry

In article ,
says...
I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My
local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.


First project I ever made was Poplar. It worked easily enough,
but I remember being disappointed with the appearance - too bland.
Until I put the stain on it... Livened it up really nicely.
I just went & looked at it again - still looks good to me.

YMMV,
Henry

In article ,
says...
About the only thing poplar is good for is staining or painting. It has a
greenish tinge sometimes, I think from mineral inclusions, which can affect
the final color.

Actually, I kinda' like the greenish part. I'm using some for a
multi-shelf magazine rack in progress and the green (sapwood?) across
the top contrasts nicely with the white (heartwood?) of the rest. I
even got some water-based poly (which I hate) to see how it will look
without ambering.

I have heard that the gree will eventually turn brown under light, but
that should still look good.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

He's a finish carpenter. For trim, and wall covering, no one's going to
walk on it. I have poplar in some places in my home. Door openings and
other trim. It holds up fine and carefully chosen pieces have some nice
grain patterns.


"Ba r r y" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:51:16 -0500, "Cox West" wrote:


My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely
uses
cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar.

Wow. Is the job sold at a much lower price than cherry?

At least he could use birch or maple. Poplar isn't all that durable.

Barry

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 18:59:37 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote:

I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My
local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.

HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... !
But I use Poplar more then I like because the projects I am making
(for my wife) have to sell at a price point so darn low that I there
is no way to use even expensive lumber like number 2 common pine....
lol...

But if you put on a sealer...then use a gel stain you should be able
to have it look pretty good... I am in the process right now of trying
to mix my own dyes then spraying the finish... NOT having much luck
yet with this but I have only been playing for a few days...

I use Bartlets stain most of the time...just never got good resuylts
using minwax products....

Bob Griffiths

"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote in
:

dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My

Poplar blotches like crazy if you use a pigment stain (aka Minwax, etc.).
It's best to use a dye based stain.

If you must use a pigment stain (we had to so we could match the door
moulding w/ some other ancient door mouldings), do this:
- use a wood sealer
- sand
- use spray on polyurethane in a can
- sand
- put the pigment stain on (which now sits on the surface)
- use spray on polyurethane in a can
- sand
- use helmsman poly for a few more coats w/ sanding after each coat

This lets the pigment sit on the surface of the poplar (yeah, I know,
major hack)-:
If you've never used poplar, try some first. And use dye based
stain if you can (even if it fades in sunlight)...

Poplar is also pretty soft, so it's prone to denting. Cuts very
well though.


ken

Ken Yee wrote in
. 47.166:

- use spray on polyurethane in a can

Sorry...first step should be to shellac it, not poly.

ken

Cox West responds:

He's a finish carpenter. For trim, and wall covering, no one's going to
walk on it. I have poplar in some places in my home. Door openings and
other trim. It holds up fine and carefully chosen pieces have some nice
grain patterns.

I don't think I'd care for it. If I were going to sub for cherry, alder makes a
better choice. I think of poplar baseboards, door trim and chair rail and I
think ot bumps and dents. Window trim, fine, crown molding fine. Elsewhere, not
so fine.

Charlie Self
"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain

Bob G writes:


HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... !
But I use Poplar more then I like because the projects I am making
(for my wife) have to sell at a price point so darn low that I there
is no way to use even expensive lumber like number 2 common pine....

It's possible to buy S2S poplar in most areas for under 2 bucks a BF. How much
is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane? It planes
easily.

Charlie Self
"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain

Charlie Self wrote:

much is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane?
It planes easily.

Probably easier'n every other wood, soft or hard. Planing poplar doesn't
even count as practicing.

I didn't raise the S2S/S4S HD ripoff question because I figured the OP was
in the same situation I used to be in. I made stuff out of poplar because
Lowe's was the only place I knew to get wood, and it was all I could afford
at their exorbitant prices. I made the best of it.

Once I discovered a place to buy real wood, I've never bought poplar there,
even though it's cheap. For what I was paying for S4S poplar (with wider
than 3" boards done as glue-ups, no less) I can afford a similar quantity
of walnut. Let's see, walnut is available. What wood do I want?
Duhhhhhhh. :)

It hasn't saved me a dime finding a cheaper source of wood. :)

I really need to look elsewhere still, but I guess I don't care enough to
drive out to some yonder (Bedford, say) or fool with mail ordering or
whatever. I don't think I would build much more, or much bigger stuff than
I do if I had a whole tree cut up and stacked somewhere, and somewhere to
stack a whole tree. I have a little bitty shop, and I favor either purely
utilitarian projects made out of whatever crap salvage I can scrounge (my
Frankenstein music stand, or trebuchet, say) or else I do small projects in
(predominantly) walnut that take me weeks or months to complete.

I'm not really aiming to do things faster, or put more wood through the shop
just to be doing things in a hurry, and I don't mind doing a little bit to
ensure I can continue to go buy wood on the other side of town whenever I
want to, even if their prices are high.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

On 12 Dec 2004 22:19:03 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
wrote:

I think of poplar baseboards, door trim and chair rail and I
think ot bumps and dents. Window trim, fine, crown molding fine. Elsewhere, not
so fine.

So was I.

A "library" to me means lots of shelf edges and bases with shaped
edges and crisp corners exposed to vacuum cleaner tools, chairs, kids,
the occasional idiot with a step ladder, etc...

I also like the wood I'm going to touch to have a solid feel. For
some reason, poplar always feels hollow, like basswood with grain, to
me. Denser woods, like maple and birch feel more like real cherry
when you tap or knock on them.

Barry

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 14:00:19 -0500, Bob G.
wrote:


HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... !

They sell cheaper woods at expensive prices. G

Barry

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:21:42 +0000, Ken Yee
wrote:

This lets the pigment sit on the surface of the poplar (yeah, I know,
major hack)-:

It's really not a hack.

Some awfully expensive, household name furniture is stained with a
pigment stain over a clear coat, with awesome results.

Barry

I have great luck staining Poplar. I used to look down on it as a cheap
wood but It is so easy to work and stains to look like anything I want,
I really like it now. Find a commercial wood supplier and you'll pay
about 1/2 as much as you do at HD.

Here is an example of a Poplar project
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/JL/JL-BC-POP.

I used General Finishes Rosewood stain with shellac over that. It's a
water based finish so be sure to raise the grain with watre and knock
it down first. Woodcraft carries the General Finishes products.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:42:02 -0500, Silvan
wrote:

Charlie Self wrote:

much is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane?
It planes easily.

Probably easier'n every other wood, soft or hard. Planing poplar doesn't
even count as practicing.

That's why it makes great drawer sides, second only to basswood in my
book.

Barry

using the Denatured alcohol as a conditioner is fairly common from what I
here, paint thiner can be used to, it's been my experience that wood
conditioner, like minwax's, works a little better, and you don't have to
work as fast, but at 4x+ the cost I don't know if it's worth it
Cox West wrote:


My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely
uses
cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wipes it with
Denatured alchohol first. I forget his exact words, but it does something
to the pores so that all the peices take the stan in the same manner, for
consitancy of the finish. Perhaps someone else could comment on this
further.

Dave




"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote in message
...
I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My
local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

mark wrote:


"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote in message
...
I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood
bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a
dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My
local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive.


One cool thing I have done with poplar is once you've got it ready to be
finished, but before you stain it, leave it out in the sun for a couple
hours -- longer if you have a nice day. It is very photosensitive, and
the
greenishness will turn a nice warm tan, almost like cherry. Then finish
it.
I wonder of grow light would have the same affect? then you could do it year
round

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:57:23 GMT, Ba r r y
wrote:

I also like the wood I'm going to touch to have a solid feel. For
some reason, poplar always feels hollow, like basswood with grain, to
me. Denser woods, like maple and birch feel more like real cherry
when you tap or knock on them.

Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast.

If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold
ring.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 09:10:57 -0800, Tim Douglass
wrote:

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:57:23 GMT, Ba r r y
wrote:

I also like the wood I'm going to touch to have a solid feel. For
some reason, poplar always feels hollow, like basswood with grain, to
me. Denser woods, like maple and birch feel more like real cherry
when you tap or knock on them.

Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast.

Depends on the maple.

Barry

Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast.

If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold
ring.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Tim, what is the best finish for maple? I realize "best" is subjective. I
bought some honey amber dye -- and was going to try that on this cherry and
maple music stand I"m building. I'm trying to really highlight the figured
maple, since it really is only on the 4 legs and the vertical rails of the
easel.

I was thinking hit it with a light concentration of the dye, then either
shellac or spray it with lacquer. The only problem is, there are cherry
parts to this, and I wasn't sure if I should try to do something else to
them. Honey Amber dye on cherry doesn't sound good at alllll....

Either that, or I'm leaving it completely natural and using boiled linseed
oil.

On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 00:12:09 GMT, "mark" wrote:

Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast.

If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold
ring.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

Tim, what is the best finish for maple? I realize "best" is subjective. I
bought some honey amber dye -- and was going to try that on this cherry and
maple music stand I"m building. I'm trying to really highlight the figured
maple, since it really is only on the 4 legs and the vertical rails of the
easel.

I was thinking hit it with a light concentration of the dye, then either
shellac or spray it with lacquer. The only problem is, there are cherry
parts to this, and I wasn't sure if I should try to do something else to
them. Honey Amber dye on cherry doesn't sound good at alllll....

Either that, or I'm leaving it completely natural and using boiled linseed
oil.

I personally favor the light, natural look for maple. BLO or other oil
finish will bring out the grain and warm it up nicely. I currently am
favoring oil with shellac if I want more protection and some gloss. My
current maple project will get danish oil and maybe shellac.

For the combination of maple and cherry I would think that BLO would
give you perhaps the best overall look - especially as the cherry
darkens with age. I have never worked with cherry, so my opinions
there are rather suspect.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

"jeff" wrote in message
...
Generally, isn't this type of finishing done with spray equipment, though?
I think that most of this is done with some kind of tinted lacquer, and
the
color does not come so much from the wood being dyed or pigmented as from
the topcoat.

Absolutely. This was not, by any stretch, a fine finish but it was
attractive for its use - a multi use office and conference center. It was
pretty much what is used in a lot of residential construction and that
process is not indended to be beautiful - just attracive and quick.

The biggest mistake I made when we built our house was not knowing about
these 3-step production laquer finishes (sprayed stain, sealer, finish). It
sounds impressive but basically it allows a good gun guy and a couple of
high-school drop outs to finish a 2,000 square foot house in two days (while
they are doing another down the street, during dry times).