ace_cobra Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Hello, I am fairly new to staining with anything other than Minwax oil stains. I have used liquid, and gel, with great success on pine. My problem now I that I am building my own kitchen cabinets out of maple, and as expected, its not taking stain well. I have since gone and tried General Finishes stains, and they are still wiping off pretty cleanly, leaving a very minimal stain on the wood itself. I am now looking into dyes, and GF water based stain seems worth a shot. My question is that I have never worked with water based stains, and with my project being kitchen cabinets, are there any durability downfalls with WB dyes? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Many people build the casework of kitchen cabinets with prefinished plywood to help save time and aggravation. Plus the finish on pre finished plywood is hard to beat. The exterior of your cabinets (I am guessing face frames, doors, and drawers in your case) is typically your solid hardwood. Maple can be tricky to stain, so make sure you do some test pieces first to help decide on your final finish schedule. I have used general water based stains and have had good success with them. Keep in mind that dyes and stains are different products, and will look different in the final product. As for durability, make sure you put a few layers of top coat on. Usually a good choice is endurovar by general, or their high performance poly. Both are very durable, all around good top coats. Particleboard is really the expert in everything to do with kitchen cabinets. Hopefully he will reply to your thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 http://generalfinishes.com/professional-products/color-matching-tinting-system#.UzI94a1dW1A (click the link above, then click the "color chips" grey tab) I suggest you step up to General Finishes RTM product line. Wonderful to use and great color options. You can spray or wipe. I work lot with maple. Can you tell us what color your looking for. How about posting a picture of the desired color? What are your test board sanded up too? Are you using a sealer for blotch control? Perhaps you may first have to dye the wood then a stain to bring in the color. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Are you letting the stain soak in for a bit before you wipe it off ? Gel stains and Dye stains penetrate the wood differently . Gels don't usually go very deep into the fibers . Dyes travel deeper do to the thinness of them . You'll need to top coat this with a clear finish of some kind . GF makes a PreCat Urethane that's easy to spray and does a great job in the durability department . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace_cobra Posted March 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Hi, and thanks for all the replies. I am sanding 100grit with belt sander, then 100 and 150 with palm sander. I use the minwax pre stain conditioner to reduce blotching. I have left the stains on for a while, and tried various coats. I am looking for a medium brown colour, and once I learn how to post a picture ill have one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Sounds like blotch control is prohibiting your color take in. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Try using a 1# cut of de-waxed shellac instead of the stain conditioner for blotch control. If the color retention of the stain is not enough, try reducing to 3/4# or 1/2#. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace_cobra Posted March 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 If using a WB dye stain, does it become blotchy. Any cons to using a water based stain as oppposed to an oil stain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace_cobra Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I tried the Stain dye products from GF, and they took much much better. I think I will stay with them. Now I need to find a good colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I've found using the blotch control (GF Natural ) on maple doesn't let the stain soak in enough . Plus I don't see any problems with maple getting blotchy on me . I can even it out pretty well better the gels and dyes or stains . I mostly use GF stains and dyes , I find them to be really good and fool proof . At my local Woodcraft they have a display system with all the different stains so you can blend the colors you want , that's real helpful in getting a match or just picking a color you like . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Jenkins Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 Try rustoleum stains. I was pleasantly surprised when I stained a top I made for a vanity cabinet.Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I recently tried the rustoleum products, and was pleasantly surprised. For those of us without easy access to a Woodcraft or other outlet for the General Finishes products that are so popular, Rustoleum is a good alternative to Minwax, and usually found in the same big box store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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