Blotches on preconditioned surface after first coat of stain

[sammers]

I am a newborn.  I purchased a nice wood dresser.  Can't tell you what kind of wood, but it is decent.  I have sanded everything down to the bare wood.  I used MinWax prestain conditioner, applied the first coat of stain within the 2 hour window as suggested, let it dry over night and this morning I have light blotches.

 

What have I done to cause this?  And how can I fix it? 

 

Thank you for any help!!!

Samantha

[wtnhighlander]

Some species of wood will blotch with wiped-on stain, no matter what. Some of the pro guys may have some good suggestion, but a lot will depend on the piece, and what tools you have available. Can you share some photos of the dresser?

BTW, welcome to the forum!

[Trip]

Would you please list the products you applied, how many coats, etc...

 

 

To set expectations:

 

Some blotching situations can be fixed using chemistry, depending on wood species and products applied -- this is the best-case scenario...

 

Some blotching can't be fixed without sanding the piece down to bare wood... This may be required...

 

Some combinations of stains (ex alcohol-based) and species (ex Red Maple) can’t be fixed without ruining the piece... You just have to live with it, color it or hide it...

 

So what you did and how you did it is important to provide advice…

 

 

Good Luck!

[Trip]

==>^^^ Great post. I agree with everything – except for the part about gel stains…

 

I went on a rant on these several years ago, so I figure it’s about time to do so again…

 

Gel stains come in handy for blotch-prone species if you don’t have access to spray gear. But controlling blotch in this way comes at a steep cost --- the project ends-up with a muddy finish that masks grain and figure… This is the downside the Marketing team forgot to put on the label…

 

On the upside, gel stains are great for match-existing projects. Like a co-worker presents a drawer that the family dog has taken a shine to with the request, “Can you match this?”… The answer is always, “No, but I’ll try to get close”... Most mass-produced furniture has a fairly cloudy finish, so gel stains are perfect to match existing… It works surprisingly well…

[dwacker]

It may just be the fact that you did not get off what the manufacturer put on there first time around. We use a clear stain base and dyed stain base as an equalizer and "blotch" control. If the wood sucks in down deep you will never sand it out without removing to much wood. 

[Trip]

==>you did not get off what the manufacturer put on there first time around

That's a good point... Some coatings really penetrate deeply...

 

 

In that case, what you do?   Some sort of barrier coat, then tone for an equalizer, topcoat, then glaze to dial-in what you want?

[Trip]

 

That would do it, but probably not the answer the OP was hoping for... 

[RPCV_Woodworker]

I am a newborn.  I purchased a nice wood dresser.  Can't tell you what kind of wood, but it is decent.  I have sanded everything down to the bare wood.  I used MinWax prestain conditioner, applied the first coat of stain within the 2 hour window as suggested, let it dry over night and this morning I have light blotches.

 

What have I done to cause this?  And how can I fix it? 

 

Thank you for any help!!!

Samantha

If you could take a closeup of the wood, we could probably ID it for you too...