# Staining Red Oak - How to Make the Pores Not so Dark?



## Toolz (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm working on a project with hardwood plywood (red oak). I want to stain it with a medium color like Pecan or maybe a light Walnut. After staining my sample board there is kind of like a Zebra effect. The pores of the grain are really dark and the rest of the wood is really light.

What is the best way to minimize the contrast?


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## jjboozel (Mar 11, 2013)

Toolz said:


> I'm working on a project with hardwood plywood (red oak). I want to stain it with a medium color like Pecan or maybe a light Walnut. After staining my sample board there is kind of like a Zebra effect. The pores of the grain are really dark and the rest of the wood is really light.
> 
> What is the best way to minimize the contrast?


You could try lacquer thinner. Also use an oil based stain. Water based tends to do that more with plywood. I'm a fan of oil based overall absolutely with plywood. But I'm not a big fan of plywood either lol. Try lacquer thinner on the real dark spots and try an oil based stain.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Is this what you are looking for or not? I personally like the grain with red oak.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Put on your sanding sealer over the stain.. When it dries, use a paste wood grain filler to fill the pores of the wood. Get a light color of the paste wood grain filler and the pores will be light. Then apply your normal finish. 
If this sounds good, I will post instructions.


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## Toolz (Apr 27, 2013)

Thanks for your replies guys. 

Tony, yes I like your solution. I thought about using a wood conditioner before I stain, but putting on a light colored wood grain filler after the stain sounds good.

You're saying use a sanding sealer before the wood grain filler, would I be able to use Polyurethane over that?

Any additional instructions would be appreciated,

Thanks, 
John


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Another option would be to spray on a dye stain. There wouldn't be so much pigment getting into the grain that way.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Toolz said:


> Thanks for your replies guys.
> 
> Tony, yes I like your solution. I thought about using a wood conditioner before I stain, but putting on a light colored wood grain filler after the stain sounds good.
> 
> ...


John, when you confirm with Sherwin Williams, PM me so I don't forget this thread and I will write down more details. Not much to it though. 
Work in small areas, like maybe an 8" X 8" area at a time. 
Basically, paint this stuff on - it should be pretty thick even after mixing. Wait a few minutes to Flash-off. Get some Burlap fabric and rub it in ACROSS the grain. get off as much as you can. Then when the whole surface is done, go back and light sand to get the rest of the residue off. Let it dry overnight and put on the poly the next day. 
So, what you will need the Past Wood Grain Filler in the color or close to what you want. You will also need about a yard of Burlap. Go to a fabric store and not a Crafts place. You will also need a mixer for your electric drill. They make small ones that will fit into a quart can. Run drill at slow speed like you would for driving screws. 

Gettin' late. Send me a PM after you confirm with Sherwin Williams and I will give you a tad more info. Piece of cake, dude.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

From the perspective of oak wood anatomy, it would seem wise to seal the vessels (aka pores) before you do anything else. This will prevent the stain from being sucked down inside the wood.
Paste oak wood filler. Let it set up then sand it back so that only the vessels are occluded.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Robson Valley said:


> From the perspective of oak wood anatomy, it would seem wise to seal the vessels (aka pores) before you do anything else. This will prevent the stain from being sucked down inside the wood.
> Paste oak wood filler. Let it set up then sand it back so that only the vessels are occluded.


Different people do it different ways. I just go by the way I was taught. Doing it your way, the thinking is that if you seal the wood first, then use the filler and sand back, if you don't sand back enough, no stain will penetrate it. And, if you do sand back properly, you risk staining and darkening the filler or worse, the solvents in the oil stain can soften the filler and more or less wash out some of the filler while applying and removing the stain..
Doing it my way, if you sand the filler and barely cut into the sealer, all is OK. However, and this is a big however, if you sand past the sealer, you will sand the stain and now have some touch-up problems.

Your point is a good one and the decision will rest with the OP. 

I rarely ever stain so this is usually not a problem for me.


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## Julie Mor (Feb 10, 2013)

As long as you're not using an alcohol based stain or dye, you can use a 1 pound cut of shellac as a wash coat to control color absorption. If your color is alcohol based, use glue size instead. But do not use glue size under waterborne products. 

Then stain or dye to whatever color you want.


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