# Finishing poplar



## bigg081 (Dec 23, 2012)

I have read that finishing poplar can be a pain. Does it not take stain well?

I'm making a large (10') dog gate and plan to stain it a dark "kona" color. Is it as simple as sand down with 150-180 and brush on the stain? Then a nice tung oil after?


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## evilzed (Jan 3, 2013)

Woodsmith had an article about staining poplar in an issue last year. The main problem they mentioned was the green tint poplar sometimes has messes up the appearance of the stain. They discussed using just stain, stain over a wood conditioner and gel stain. They recommended the gel stain over the other methods because it doesn't penetrate deeply and will not be affected by the green tint. I have since used General Finishes Gel Stain on a couple of projects using poplar and I have been very satisfied. It rubs out nicely to look like a hand rubbed oil finish. It also has urethane in it so it can be used as a 1-step finish if the piece is not going to see hard use. You can put a clear topcoat over it if you like. I just put 2-3 coats on and let it go. I apply it with a paint pad, then after a couple of minutes, I wipe the excess off with a paper towel, rubbing with the grain until I get an even finish. It's pretty easy and the results are great, in my opinion. I'll post some pics as soon as I get a chance. I hope this helps.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Poplar stains alright. The biggest problem is the wood runs from white to green to black so its best if you can select the wood when building a project to get consistant lumber to begin with. There is some problem with blotching so you need to use a wood conditioner. I think the Kona color is dark enough you won't have a problem with the natural green however if it is a issue the green can be counteracted with a red dye. Once you have the color to your choosing it can be finished with what ever finish you are able to get in your area. Be sure to work out the finish on scrap wood before you put anything on your project. Sometimes wood conditioner needs to be thinned to allow the stain to take.


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## bigg081 (Dec 23, 2012)

Didn't think about using a gel. I pick out boards with consistent color. No green areas. I love poplar for the range of color but not this project.


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## Bonka (Mar 24, 2011)

*Poplar*

I used Charles Neil's "Blotch Control" on poplar. I used water based dye on the poplar and it looks just like cherry.
After sanding/planing the poplar surface and before appling anything set the poplar in the sun and the green will turn brown.


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## evilzed (Jan 3, 2013)

Here are a couple of pictures of a poplar shelf stained with General Finishes gel stain in Java. It has two coats on it. I apologize for the poor picture quality. The pics are off my phone, but I thought it might help you some. The board didn't have any green tint to it, but I think the stain would cover it if there was some. 

















Maybe this can give you a bit of an idea of how well it works.


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## bigg081 (Dec 23, 2012)

evilzed said:


> Here are a couple of pictures of a poplar shelf stained with General Finishes gel stain in Java. It has two coats on it. I apologize for the poor picture quality. The pics are off my phone, but I thought it might help you some. The board didn't have any green tint to it, but I think the stain would cover it if there was some.
> 
> Maybe this can give you a bit of an idea of how well it works.


Thank you sir. Love the wavy simple grain of poplar.


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## evilzed (Jan 3, 2013)

You're welcome.


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