Wood choice for end tables when using dark stains

[bbarry9999]

Hello all.  

I am getting ready to start on two end tables for my wife.  She really likes the look of General Finishes Georgian Cherry gel stain - so that will be the stain I use.  My question is, since the project is going to have such a dark stain anyway, is there a wood of choice I could/should use for end tables.  I would normally use Cherry, but that seems like an expensive choice for something being covered in dark stain.  I'm thinking any hardwood should work ok.  

Thanks

BB

 

[estesbubba]

Since it's a gel stain I wouldn't use anything expensive - brown birch or poplar. 

[Guest]

Oak and ash stain really easily 

[Jfitz]

2 minutes ago, estesbubba said:

Since it's a gel stain I wouldn't use anything expensive - brown birch or poplar. 

Agreed.  I think Alder is a poplar-like wood, so that might be an option as well.

Think about how much abuse the end table will take.  Poplar and Alder are pretty soft, so they'll get beat up.  Birch is a harder wood, and so would be less likely to dent.

 

[TerryMcK]

Yes any wood will do. I've even used it on a pine tabletop with white oak legs. The colour created is uniform on both species (on that piece my client wanted a browny red colour throughout that still showed the grain through - so I chose GF Antique Cherry with EnduroVar on top).

[Eric.]

Alder is the best cherry fake I've seen grain-wise. It's soft though. Goes without saying the best route is just using cherry and a clear finish and letting it age naturally...but I'll say it anyway. Hope I don't get a spanking from daddy for being mean.

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[mat60]

Who is your daddy.

[Llama]

 

[estesbubba]

3 hours ago, Mike. said:

Oak and ash stain really easily 

How well do gel stains work with porous woods? My thought is it would be hard to get out of the pores and stay a gooey mess forever. 

[Tpt life]

11 minutes ago, estesbubba said:

How well do gel stains work with porous woods? My thought is it would be hard to get out of the pores and stay a gooey mess forever. 

I've never used it without a sand through shellac coat. 

[Guest]

I have has no problems using it on oak and ash.  But you could also use GF oil stain or water base wood stain in the same color.  

This might be personal preference, but oak and ash are the only woods that look ok stained, in my opinion.  Poplar, maple, birch always look cheap when stained.   At least with oaknor ash you can see the grain and pores, so it still looks a little like wood.  Even with a gel stain, you are fighting some blotch and uneven absorption (even though gel stains do a decent job)  

If OP's wife likes that color, oak or ash will give her the truest representation of that color with the least headache   

 

[BonPacific]

27 minutes ago, estesbubba said:

How well do gel stains work with porous woods? My thought is it would be hard to get out of the pores and stay a gooey mess forever. 

At least for GF, gel stains are a colored polyurethane, so unless you have problems using poly on the wood, I wouldn't expect an issue. That said I've only used it on softwood. The Georgia Cherry gel looks fantastic on Hemlock, with that straight grain showing through, but not good for a tabletop.

[Chestnut]

Is it impolite to say use walnut and don't stain it, maybe try and follow Gee_Dubs finishing schedule he did for his walnut dresser.

If dead set on stain I'd stick with an oak or ash. Ash > oak in my opinion.

[Eric.]

Oak and ash take stain better but the grain looks nothing like cherry. If the goal is recreating cherry on the cheap, alder with a wash coat of shellac then gel stain is the most effective fake I've seen. On the other hand, depending on where you live, cherry may not be that much more expensive than alder and it will look much better.

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[bbarry9999]

Thanks for all the feedback.  I've tried to convince my wife to go with just a clear finish Cherry, but.....  GF Georgian Cherry gel stain is what she wants, so that's what she will get (happy wife happy life).  As for the wood, it looks like it really just comes down to personal preferences and availability.  We have kids so a hardwood/durable surface is key.  Thanks for all the help.

 

[Minnesota Steve]

I'd consider maple.   It's as durable as oak, but has a nice tight grain and looks like cherry when stained, and is inexpensive.   Well at least around here, it's usually about same price as red oak and I can find deals at local mills for even less as we have a lot of maple trees.

It's not as easy to stain, but I've been experimenting with GF's water based stains and they actually do a decent job on maple.   Granted, if you've already set on the gel stain, I don't know how that might work...

 

[Guest]

I assumed OPs wife liked to color of the cherry stain and could give a rat's ass about the actual species.  95% of non-woodworkers can't tell cherry from oak and 99% of them don't care.    They look at the color and that is about it.   Oak and ash are cheap, durable easy to work and take stain great.  In fact, I think god created oak trees because he knew man couldn't leave nature alone and threw us a bone by giving us something easy to stain.  

If she cares about cherry looking grain, then use cherry and go ahead and stain it.  But If she just wants that dark fake cherry color, save yourself a huge headache and get oak or ash.   They are by fare the most idiot proof species to stain.  Don't take offense to that - staining sucks and is easy to screw up. 

I would consider using GF's water base wood stains (not their DYE stain, different product).  The water based wood stains are thick like a gel stain, so they are easy to apply and don't blotch as much.  They have the same colors as the oil gels, I believe.  However, they are easier to clean up and will be more user friendly than the oil based gel stain, which as someone mentioned, contain varnish.  The varnish/stain mixes can be difficult to apply.   Go over the water based wood stain with your choice of clear coat and it will be very durable.  

 

 

 

[TerryMcK]

4 hours ago, estesbubba said:

How well do gel stains work with porous woods? My thought is it would be hard to get out of the pores and stay a gooey mess forever. 

Water based GF wood stain is thicker than oil based gel stain. It has been formulated for difficult woods like pine, maple and aspen to quote their website. It works well on both white oak and pine in my experience

[bleedinblue]

Like others, I make every attempt possible to avoid stain.  Choose the species wood with the right color and clear it.  That said, my current project is a farmhouse table with painted, turned legs.  I know what it's like to be voted down by the wife.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, bleedinblue said:

Like others, I make every attempt possible to avoid stain.  Choose the species wood with the right color and clear it.  That said, my current project is a farmhouse table with painted, turned legs.  I know what it's like to be voted down by the wife.

 

Pretty sure the initials for Bobbie Jo rhyme with happy husband.  

[AceHoleInOne]

Bobbie Joe...lock-jaw set's in once the wedding ring is sized, eh?

-Ace-      

[wtnhighlander]

Trying to make oak (red, at least) look like cherry seems like a losing battle. However, you could fill the pores with Plaster of Paris in this case, and get it smooth enough to at leasy vaguely resemble cherry under a slather of gel stain.

[mat60]

11 hours ago, bbarry9999 said:

 I've tried to convince my wife to go with just a clear finish Cherry, but.....

 

In 30 years its never worked out for me to try to convince my wife of anything. But there is hope.

[Ronn W]

My best recommendation is to take all the good ideas mentioned above and then make sample boards, not just of the stain but of your entire finishing process.  Takes a little time but then you will have them forever ofr future reference.  Don't forget to label them.

[bbarry9999]

Thanks for all the feedback.  I decided to go with Ash.  I haven't worked with Ash before and thought this would be a good project to try it.  Picked up the wood yesterday and been planing and jointing since.