librarylady Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Hi all - I've lurked here for a while, but this is my first post. I've stripped an old table - it was last finished professionally 30 years ago. I believe the guy used a brown dye, then tinted lacquer over top for a fairly opaque finish, brown with hints of cordovan. I think of it as my "mutt" table- it appears to be a mix of walnut, maybe poplar, and some mahogany veneer on top. I have never, ever experienced a finish so reluctant to be stripped as whatever crap was on the table legs. Holy moly (see photo). This is a re-strip; a couple of weeks ago I stripped it and finished it with General Finishes Empire Red Dye Stain, and then GF Georgian Cherry and Candelite Gel Stain. It looked like crap. The gel stain was fine on the flat surface of the tabletop, but accumulated everywhere else so the finish was uneven. It was so opaque I may as well have painted the stupid table. So I stripped it again. Bleached it. I still have 180 and 220 sanding to do. Here's the new plan: I bought some Lockwood stains (Cuban mahogany, Honduran mahogany, and English brown mahogany). Dye stain to the color I want, then maybe a wiping stain, and then gel stain on areas that need some opacity due to the wood not being so terrific. Topcoated with GF Arm R Seal in satin. I'd like a dark classic mahogany finish when completed. My questions: 1. What kind of wood do you think this is? 2. Should I dye and not worry about possible blotching on the bottom shelf?- see photos - there is one of the shelf when wet so you can see how it will blotch 3. Am I missing a washcoat somewhere in the process? 4. What do you think of my plan? Alas, I don't have a sprayer or any fancy stuff. Thanks in advance for your help! PHOTOS ARE HERE: (in Dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o6h3mwxiv7y2xsh/AADei36OwOVhbBQvq6tBSOXha?dl=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Welcome LL! 1. What kind of wood do you think this is? Looks like Alder to me. 2. Should I dye and not worry about possible blotching on the bottom shelf?- see photos - there is one of the shelf when wet so you can see how it will blotch If I am right and it is indeed alder, you'll want a washcoat. It is prone to blotching. 3. Am I missing a washcoat somewhere in the process? Yes, you'll want to do this as a first step. Then sand lightly with 320, apply stain to desired color, then protect. 4. What do you think of my plan? Alder looks better natural or with a light stain, If you are after a dark color you may want to do the underside of the table or get some Alder scraps to test first. It won't be identical because it's a different batch of wood, but it could get you close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Thank you both for your suggestions, they are excellent. But I didn't take them lol! I went with the Lockwood dye stain, using a combo of the three colors. I love the color on most of the piece (see photo, yes it looks uneven - I wet it down so I could take a pic to show the true color and didn't wet it evenly), but the table feet dyed too dark, so I need to take off some of the dye. These Lockwood dyes are great for that - you can really take the color down easily once it has dried. Some areas where the wood is uneven in color, I will even out as much as I can with dye, and then use some strategic gel stain if needed. So, the plan is tomorrow to remove some of the dye from the table feet, using water or bleach if necessary.... This is a long process, but I have learned so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Oh, and the blotching is still there. I plan to remove some dye and washcoat the areas where the knots are, to see what's what... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 I had equally terrible luck with GF Georgian Cherry gel stain. Plus my hands were red for a week. Looks like you're on to something though with finish version 3.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yeah, that gel stain - it was terrible on any piece of wood with a corner or end. Long flat surfaces, it was OK, but seriously, I thought it was very difficult to use. I only plan to use it as a glaze, as needed. I think I am on to something, if I can lighten what I did. It is too dark on the bottom of the table. We'll see, I have hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted May 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 THE TABLE is finished. Hip, hip hooray! Process: Lockwood metallic dye stains - georgian Cherry, Cuban Red Mahogany, and English Mahogany. Natural stain with a hint of red mahogany stain - 1 coat. Satin poly - 1 coat. Artist oil colors with glaze to even areas of the wood (there must have been 4 woods, including a veneer top on this thing). Especially the bottom shelf which was a blotch fest (see before in Dropbox link, above). 2 coats semi gloss poly. 2 coats satin poly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted May 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Link to photos: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Wow! That really turned out great! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted May 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Thanks! It is DONE. DONE. DONE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 i really like the way that turned out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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