# Dark stain on clear vertical Douglas fir - bad idea?



## SunsetAvenue (Jun 20, 2010)

I just stripped all the trim in my house because it was a blotchy, gewy cherry mess. I'm trying to stain it darker and can't get the light stripes to accEpt the stain-- what gives?

I have a 1929 Spanish bungalow so dark brown would fit the aesthetic - but is that a no-no with clear vert Doug? 

Is there anyone out there who has stained clear Doug fir a dark brown (like royal mahogany) with good results? What brand/color and how do I achieve a buttery finish? ( not high gloss) I'm a complete novice and scared to make a very expensive mistake. Thanks!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I offered this suggestion in another thread.

I've gotten good results with sanding to 150x-180x. Applying a conditioner, and using a wipe on pigmented oil base stain. It may take more than one stain application. Topcoat with a satin or semi-gloss.

In some cases spraying a blush mist of stain to even out the coloring helps.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Sunset,
I have been having good luck lately with the water based aniline dyes. I just stained up a western pine floor I put down and some thresholds I made from vertical grained doug fir. It worked very well on both, very easy to work with. I get the dye from our local Woodcraft store. Just make sure you wear rubber or latex gloves. It takes about two weeks to wear off your fingers.
Mike Hawkins


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## SunsetAvenue (Jun 20, 2010)

Thanks so much, Cabinetman. By "wipe on" do you mean a gel stain as opposed to something like a "wood finish" by Minwax? Any brand you recommend?


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## SunsetAvenue (Jun 20, 2010)

Thanks, Firehawkmph -- this dye, do you need to mix it with a base before using? And did you choose a dye as opposed to a stain because doug fir doesn't work well with stain?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

SunsetAvenue said:


> Thanks so much, Cabinetman. By "wipe on" do you mean a gel stain as opposed to something like a "wood finish" by Minwax? Any brand you recommend?



By wipe on it means just that. A pigmented oil base stain that you use a "T" shirt material as a rag. Having it wet without dripping, wipe with the grain. Let sit for a few minutes and wipe off with a clean rag. Let dry. It may need another application.

The "wood finishes" are more than just a coloring and/or a topcoat. Most are not a single component if the word "finish" is part of the label ID.

Gel stains are different than pigmented oil stains. Some do not penetrate as deeply, or produce predictable coloring, at least the ones that I've tried.


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## SunsetAvenue (Jun 20, 2010)

*HELP - stain too dark!*

Thanks for all the input ... Here's what i've done and how things evolved into a new dilemma.

I'm refinishing all the trim in my house - spanish revival - so it's a dark brown with warm red undertones. It's mostly clear vertical doug fir, but some areas are more wide, broad grain. 

Here's what i've done on JUST OUR TEST DOOR FRAME and how things evolved into a dilemma, possibly disaster.

1. We stripped, sanded doug fir to natural.
2. I used Zansser Seal Coat and sanded. (suggested by Rockler)
3. Then applied Java color Gel Stain by General Finishes.
4. We applied two coats of Vermont Natural Coatings Poly Whey Satin finish - it looked exactly like what I wanted. Like a rich, buttery chocolate.


**But since then, the guys working for me have done ALL the trim THROUGH STEP 3 ABOVE (no poly whey finish just yet) except doors and windows (still natural), and it looks way too dark - think gothic church. The test door frame has some warm reds showing through - but the rest of the house may as well be painted dark brown.

I can't tell if this is because the doug fir has a lot of tight grain, or because the guys applied the gel stain way too heavy.

What's the best method for gently thinning out so I get a little red warmth instead of straight black/brown? 

Please be as specific as possible -- I'm a newbie! 

THANKS!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Without actually seeing the problem, you might try gently wiping with mineral spirits to thin out the color. If that doesn't remove enough, try lacquer thinner. Don't get too aggressive as you could remove too much. It has to be done evenly to look uniform.

To be specific, use a damp rag, not wringing wet and draw with the grain a few swipes until the excess is removed leaving the color less dominant.


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## lynne (Oct 9, 2012)

I NEED HELP!!!! For starters, I just registered on this website and I'm not sure how to post my question other than to reply to this thread. More importantly, I am dealing with a construction nightmare and one of the smaller problems, yet it is huge, is the grade of trim the builder used on the interior trim and the lousy job the painter did in staining and finishing. I noticed a lot of posts referring to vertical douglas fir, however I am not sure if that is what i have or not. I seem to have two different grains, one that looks tigerish for lack of a better word and another that I assuming you are referring to as vertical grain. The wood looks terrible, blotchy, high contrast between dark and light areas of the grain, a lot of the wood is rough and dry looking. I would like to know how can I remedy the woodwork. One thing forgot to mention, two soffets in the living room had to be reone because the builder installed and insufficient beam that sat between the two soffets. The painter that stained and finished the new soffets (unstained wood) did the job right and the finished soffets look great. But now I have the rest of the trim and interior doors to refinish and was wondering first if it is possible to correct and second what do i need to do?

Thanks
Lynne


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

lynne said:


> I NEED HELP!!!! For starters, I just registered on this website and I'm not sure how to post my question other than to reply to this thread. More importantly, I am dealing with a construction nightmare and one of the smaller problems, yet it is huge, is the grade of trim the builder used on the interior trim and the lousy job the painter did in staining and finishing. I noticed a lot of posts referring to vertical douglas fir, however I am not sure if that is what i have or not. I seem to have two different grains, one that looks tigerish for lack of a better word and another that I assuming you are referring to as vertical grain. The wood looks terrible, blotchy, high contrast between dark and light areas of the grain, a lot of the wood is rough and dry looking. I would like to know how can I remedy the woodwork. One thing forgot to mention, two soffets in the living room had to be reone because the builder installed and insufficient beam that sat between the two soffets. The painter that stained and finished the new soffets (unstained wood) did the job right and the finished soffets look great. But now I have the rest of the trim and interior doors to refinish and was wondering first if it is possible to correct and second what do i need to do?
> 
> Thanks
> Lynne


Hi Lynne and welcome to the club. As far as your posting problem its possible you being a new member may not be able to start a new thread. There is a lot of people that will open a membership for the purpose of inserting spam so the management has made some restrictions to new members. I'm not up to speed on the posting rules but if you clicked "New Topic" and nothing happened then you need to make something like 10 or 15 posts before you can start a new topic. 


As far as your finishing problem you may have a grade of wood known as SPF which stands for Spruce, Pine, Fir which literally have three or more different kinds of wood and are intended to be painted rather than stained. Its difficult to say without seeing it but I think if it is possible I would go with the darkest color you have in the millwork and try to match everything with it with a gel stain. The finish is a little pasty but it would be your best option to even it out and subdue the stripe look. A gel stain has a lot more pigment then a oil stain and it is suspended in a media so you can lay more on the surface. If this isn't an option then the woodwork will either have to be refinished or replaced.


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