Staining Zebrawood

[Samantha Nakanishi]

Hi there, Looking for tips & insights into how to best stain zebrawood on my bar.

I am in the process of determining the finish for my bar downstairs. Here are some details regarding the bar.

Bar style: Contempory, simple clean lines

Counter Top: Quartz - White (European Style - counter top installed an all 3 sides of the bar's front. Top and both sides)

Dimensions: 43" H & 81" W with the grain layed out horizontally

I would like to find a stain colour that will allow me to show more dark wood grains without filling in the white grain areas of this veneer. I really would like to have these wood grains pop out on the front of the bar. However the current panel has 50/50% dark and light wood grains, which seem to be the standard look. What I would like to achieve is have the veneer appear 75/25% dark vs light with the hopes of using a dark stain. I recently tested this dark stain and found that even with and without wood conditioner treatment the wood grains became less visible. The wood conditioner was slightly better but still found that the light grains did not show well. On that note, feeling the Tung oil may help show the variation in wood grains better but thinking it may still leave it to light for the room and blends in with the carpet (i.e beige)

I have seen kitchen cabinet doors with zebrawood stained dark but still be able to see the lighter wood grain colour to show through without it being stained. Wondering if this is a different staining process or its a man made material to achieve that look. Forgive me if I make obvious statements or odd comments as I'm not familar working with this kind of veneer and/or staining process. The only other conclusion I can think of is the actual DNA of the tree. Some trees have more dark grains vs light grains. Any advise or comments are appreciated.

Looking forward to the feedback!

[PaulMarcel]

The kitchen cabinets you referred to were likely dyed, not stained. Dye will add color and really highlight the grain without muddying it up like a stain will sometimes do. Stain has pigments that lodge in the crevasses of the wood (grain, pores, bad sanding ) Dye enters far deeper basically coloring the cells.

Tinker with dyes on some of your scrap to see what you like. You can get them premixed (General Finishes has those; water-based), concentrated liquids (TransTint), or powders (TransFast or WD Lockwood). I've used and like the GF water-based dyes and TransTint, which I have mixed in water, shellac, and several clear topcoats with success. I haven't used powdered dyes; that said, I've heard lots of recommendations for the WD Lockwood powdered dyes from people who'd know.

I don't know if you want the white of the zebrawood remaining white. For that, good luck with a paint brush Otherwise, if you want that, say, medium brown, you could apply medium brown dye to the veneer turning the white medium brown (or lighter) and darkening up the black. You'll still get the grain.

As for the dye carrier, consider the glue you used for the veneer. If you used hide glue (liquid or pot), avoid using a water carrier "just in case"; it might not release, but it also depends on the porosity of the veneer. If you can spray it, an alcohol carrier dries fast (TransTint or the powders work with alcohol).

[Samantha Nakanishi]

http://www.lightingandlocks.com/02690.html?productid=02690&channelid=NEXTA

I found a picture of how I would like to colour the wood. Is this still possible with what you are recommending?

Thanks for the feedback this is really helpful. I will definitely try the dye like you suggested.

Looking for further clarification on what you mentioned above about mixing water, shellac, and several clear top coats. Do you have a formula to make this mixture? Or did you apply each....liquid separately?

Should I still look at putting some kind of wood conditioner before I start?

Good to tip on the glue. I used contact cement not thinking its a issue but please confirm.

Thanks

[PaulMarcel]

http://www.lightinga...channelid=NEXTA

I found a picture of how I would like to colour the wood. Is this still possible with what you are recommending?

Thanks for the feedback this is really helpful. I will definitely try the dye like you suggested.

Looking for further clarification on what you mentioned above about mixing water, shellac, and several clear top coats. Do you have a formula to make this mixture? Or did you apply each....liquid separately?

Should I still look at putting some kind of wood conditioner before I start?

Good to tip on the glue. I used contact cement not thinking its a issue but please confirm.

Thanks

Oh, I didn't mean to mix the water, shellac and top coats!! I meant that you can add TransTint to each successfully... individually

With a dye on a veneer, you won't need a wood conditioner. For solid wood, you can use conditioning if it's a blotchy wood and you want to go light. Otherwise, in that case, you usually flood the dye on so everything gets to the same darker color.

That brings up another point: a true stain will put pigment in the crevasses so technically a second coat adds nothing. With a dye, each coat intensifies the color. On your sample board, I'd suggest dying the whole thing then go back and put a second coat on 3/4 of the board then a third on 1/2, fourth on 1/4 and you'll get a good indicator of how far you can go with the color.

I wasn't sure if contact cement releases with alcohol so I snooped around last night and I don't think it will. That said, you could spray alcohol-based dye on it. Otherwise, you should be fine.

Just looked at the picture. Oooh, i like that. Medium brown may not be enough to get to the color you want. If you go to Woodcraft/Rockler, you can find color boards of General Finishes dyes on oak and birch. Look at the birch as I'm guessing it would be the closest to the white of zebrawood. You should be able to find a dye that is close. Err on the light side since you can recoat for darker. In TransTint, that darker brown is more like Heritage Brown.

[Samantha Nakanishi]

Thanks again for the info. I'll give this a try. Wish me luck!