re: Staining or finishing an antique wood piece? Bumped for advice.

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I would not stain it. Put a coat of Satin Polyurethane on it to show the grain.

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Ive stripped it though. It looks terrible IMO. It has taken years of abuse. There are pocks and gouges all over the thing. The middle piece of grain showing through is not representative of what the whole thing looks like.

i used 220 to prep area pre-stain. and a tack cloth of course. we used 120 grit after stripping to smooth everything over, and we used a "mouse" which is just a little black and decker hand sander. Not a belt sander.

Seems like in the real dark area on the left side, the grain is sticking up which will absorb more stain than a horizontal grain. That is what usually makes it darker. Hard to tell from just a picture, though. You could try 320 grit if that bothers you. Also, if you use a clear finish like a simple wipe on poly (or any clear finish), the wood will darken naturally over time.

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If you heart set on staining it Minwax makes a pre stain conditioner. I would apply that first. Then go with the color that you like best. Remember stain only stains the wood, it doesn't protect it or give it a shine. If you want it to be protected and have a shine I'd stain it then go with a couple coats of poly.

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Got all of that.

I preconditioned the wood. I just think that spot was a bit thick and wiped off the excess last? Or maybe hit it too thin with preconditioner?

Wipe in straight lines trying not to overlap too much. Some wood I work with is just too hard to get an even stain. If that's the case I spray the stain, finish with a clear or burn the thing to the ground. Lol

General Finishes Design Center

Take a look at this link.

I used some of their water based dye stain on a project similar to yours.

Dark blue base coat. Blended the coats in to balance out the grain contrasts.



I think I sprayed a thin clear shellac before adding a gray milk paint. The milk paint was wiped off quickly so that it would only sit in the deeper grain that hadn't completely filled with the shellac.

Finished it off with the clear shellac sealer.

Application video

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Wipe in straight

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Got it.

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trying not to overlap too much

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Guilty.

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Guilty

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You can use a straight edge, but watch out for puddles along the edge. Very thin coats helps. I do it by hand and have mixed results with some species of wood and as I mentioned earlier, and grain directions of a particular board.

Bump.

Used the gel Brazilian Rosewood stain with excellent results on drawers and cabinet doors. Problems now with application to larger surfaces. Instructions read to wipe away excess in 3 minutes. Well they mean it. and today with heat and humidity it may dry quicker. Basically it begins to get gummy quickly. Hence it does not wipe away evenly or smoothly. And if you reapply over it it does not darken, but it strips some away. Making the second coat lighter?

As I completed it my technique improved, but one side is unacceptable. After proper amount of time to dry can this stuff be blended? Any thoughts on a fix? What it basically looks like is the worst application with a brush ever performed. Uneven staining and darkness

You can try this, its helped me. Get an old sock and some mineral spirits and wipe it. Wring the sock so its damp. You want long strokes over the entire piece. The problem with gel stains is you have to put it on really thick, work it around and immediately wipe it turning the cloth to a clean area until it doesnt pick anything up.

When you go to finish it i would suggest a wipe on poly. It requires more coats but you get a smoother finish. I would suggest putting three coats then take 400 grit paper. Not much pressure and just a quick wipe in one direction. Run your hand over it. If you feel bumps do another pass. Then wipe it clean with mineral spirits, let it dry for about 5-10 minutes then more poly coats.

I refinished my kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and a few other things and that is the best system i have come up with. I hate paint on poly for anything other than large flat surfaces because it can pool up in corners and look like crap