# finishing soft maple



## dr_pangloss (Mar 27, 2016)

I have been researching way too much how to stain maples.

I like dark finishes. Dark finishes that are deep and have grain patterns that catch my eye as i move around the piece.

I have some soft maple that I have made two desks out of, I have been trying many things and found nothing I like.

Using Charles Neil's pre-conditioner, I get zero blotching, but I also get no grain. People seem against 'blotching', but to me this is just grain. If I want something to be very dark, does blotching even matter?

Below is red mohagony minwax stain on bare sanded soft maple vs treated with Charles Neil's conditioner. I like the right, and if I wipe it with general finishes candlelite gel stain then put poly on it, I don't think itll look that bad?

The only thing I have yet to try is using dark maple trans tint under a layer of Neil's conditioner, then maybe only the gel stain on top? I ordered transtint today.. any ideas? Is blotching really that bad if you're dark and love the grain patterns?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The density of maple just varies from place where some areas are very hard and some places soft. Then when you stain the wood absorbs more of the stain in the soft areas making the color light and dark.

The darker you go with a stain on maple would yield more blotching. The reason the grain doesn't pop using the blotch control is the blotch control is a sealer which prevents the wood from accepting the stain as well. You might try thinning the blotch control some and see if it works for you. If you have the means of spraying you could go over it after the stain and shade the light areas with dye to even out the blotching. 

Your idea to stain with a dye first might work too. Dyes if sprayed don't penetrate like oil stains so they are not as prone to blotch.


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## mat 60 (Jul 9, 2012)

The only way I have found to make maple look good for me with a dark stain is apply the stain first and then spray a toner to even out the look and then spray clear finish after that...Pane in the rear and time comsuming..I find it makes much more sense to use a wood like cherry ,alder,oak,pine,walnut exc that looks good with a dark stain to begin with...I don't no what Steve's back ground is but I'm thinking its in finishes..Always good advice.


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## dr_pangloss (Mar 27, 2016)

I'll have some more tests shortly, one issue that is very annoying though.

General finishes satin wiping poly, it somehow reacts with their own general finishes wiping stain that's dry, wiping it off (!) I have reached a color I like, but it lightens when wiping on poly.

I guess I should brush poly over top gently? Wiping is too forceful?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

dr_pangloss said:


> I'll have some more tests shortly, one issue that is very annoying though.
> 
> General finishes satin wiping poly, it somehow reacts with their own general finishes wiping stain that's dry, wiping it off (!) I have reached a color I like, but it lightens when wiping on poly.
> 
> I guess I should brush poly over top gently? Wiping is too forceful?


What you are doing won't work. If you are wiping off stain with the poly then you are allowing some of the stain to dry on the surface. If you managed to do this the polyurethane would adhere to the stain on the surface and in a month or two start pealing off. With a wiping stain you have to wipe all the stain off before it dries. If the color isn't dark enough you can supplement the color with a dye stain. It is more like ink and won't interfere with the adhesion of the finish.


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## CharlesNeil (Jun 26, 2007)

couple of things, first when using my Blotch control with a oil base stain, often only one coat is needed, because the oil in the stain also seals the wood, if you use 2 coats of the BC the stain is going to be much lighter. Even with one coat it will be lighter but not as much. As stated any prestain will cause a lighter color.
The issue your having with the wipe off ,is called like on like, meaning when you use like products one can remove the other, if you will let the stain dry more and do a light first coat it will seal down the stain, then you can go more agressive


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