# Stain not darkening *UPDATED w/ finished picture*



## SarahFair (Jul 28, 2015)

I have a dresser and night stand in trying to stain the top of. 

I'm using the stain "Carrington" made by Varathane.

I've used this on many projects and even have the seats of 2 chairs drying in it right now. 
They achieved the nice rich dark color in 2 coats. 
This dresser and night stand is still sitting pretty light after 2 coats. 
I stripped and sanded it down. The previous finish came off beautifully..
The first coat went on just fine but it acted like it really didn't want to take the second coat. 

I'm wondering if I should keep applying or if it'll do more damage than good. 

I know parts of this dresser is veneer. If the top is could that be why its only taking so much stain? 
Could it just be the type of wood? 
Keep staining?


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## kc65 (Jul 28, 2015)

For re-finishing you should use glaze stain, most stains have a sealer in them that prevents the pigments from setting....Sherwin Williams stores carry glaze...you might be able to wet down the wood with a spraybottle of water and let sit for a couple hours, this will raise the grain in the wood and allow the pigments to penetrate...Start using glaze stain on your projects and you will will be pleased with the results....


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## Anvil Head (Jul 29, 2015)

Also depends on the wood. Some woods take stain well some require a tinted finish coat.
For example - red oaks will take stain fairly well but white and live oaks resist the same stains. Density and tannin content are contributing factors. That's why a lot of the old oak furniture had a stain laqured finish on them (which is probably why it came off so easily).
Always best to pre-test an inconspicuous spot before doing the whole thing.


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## SarahFair (Jul 29, 2015)

Yeah, these chairs I believe are Rock Maple and they took it well but stripping them was a pain in the rear..

Im not sure what this dresser is but its not taking it well. 
I just put a 3rd coat on it. Its darker but Im wondering once I rub it down with steel wool how much its going to lighten back up..


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## shakey gizzard (Jul 29, 2015)

Sounds like the glue that held the veneer on is repel'n the stain, which is why the previous finish came off so easily!


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## SarahFair (Jul 29, 2015)

shakey gizzard said:


> Sounds like the glue that held the veneer on is repel'n the stain, which is why the previous finish came off so easily!




I think you may be right. 

There is one area that is giving me trouble and I'm not seeing a way around it. 

When i stripped it it was darker. I sanded that area but it remained darker. 

When I stained it it actually stayed slightly lighter and now that I added the poly I'm getting this.. 






I guess I'm going to let this dry 24 hours, sand it and give it another coat


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## Crakajak (Jul 29, 2015)

What  did you do to prep the wood after you stripped it?


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## SarahFair (Jul 29, 2015)

Crakajak said:


> What  did you do to prep the wood after you stripped it?


Sanded and wiped down with mineral spirits


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## Anvil Head (Jul 30, 2015)

That's not good....
How far down into the wood did you sand? Did you get down to fiber? I only ask this because a friend that I was sure knew better spent several days trying to get a laminated table top to match the legs on an oak table he bought. Stain and poly don't do much for plastic. He wouldn't believe it was laminate until I melted an already nicked spot with a heated paper clip.
Hope this is not what you have encountered.
The pic has a lot of glare so it's hard to say from what is seen there but Shakey may also be right. If it's real thin veneer the contact glue may have seeped through enough to block the stain, but usually the results would be a lot more visibly streaky/splotchy. Usually mineral spirits will solve that problem though.


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## SarahFair (Jul 30, 2015)

I dont think its plastic. It sanded down like wood. 
I didnt sand far because the the stain pulled right off. 
When I sanded I hit it with a 150 then a 100, just lightly. 
The spot was there after I stripped it and remained after I sanded. I just thought maybe it was something that had turned over on the wood (ie. finger nail polish remover) 
I knew not to sand it too much because I didnt want to mess the veneer up. 

Ive put 2 thinned coats of poly on it and a full coat, rubbing down with steel wool between each coat.  This spot just wont cover.


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## Anvil Head (Jul 31, 2015)

I see what you mean. Must be some kind of oil spot, nice and round area. If you ever wind up redoing it again, try some ocilic acid (sp) on the area before restaining. It might remove the resistive oil from the spot so you can match up the stain better. Lot of furniture restorer's use it for removing dark stains before restaining.
However, I imagine with two coats of poly already on you are more than past that point. Hope it doesn't blister up and peel on you.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Jul 31, 2015)

SarahFair said:


> I dont think its plastic. It sanded down like wood.
> I didnt sand far because the the stain pulled right off.
> When I sanded I hit it with a 150 then a 100, just lightly.
> The spot was there after I stripped it and remained after I sanded. I just thought maybe it was something that had turned over on the wood (ie. finger nail polish remover)
> ...


Possibly, if it won't take stain, and the finish previously on there sanded right off then it wasn't stained to begin with. 

Most furniture isn't stained, the wood is sealed to prevent absorption and then the furniture is sprayed with an opaque color to insure uniformity of finish. 

This would explain why A) the original finish came off so easy, and B) why the stain will not take.

We had a nice antique hand me down cherry table that my wife wanted to refinish. Once she was done taking it down to bare wood I noticed one entire leaf had been replaced with poplar, not cherry. It was then I realized it had been reworked and colored, not stained. Which was my only option for restoring it back to a respectable finish. It cost me $300 to have it professionally done, whereas if it had been consistent wood type and not sealed we could have stained it and saved a ton of money. 

On the upside, that finally cured my wife of wanting to refinish antiques..


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## SarahFair (Aug 7, 2015)

Well its finished. I never got that spot to fix but at this point it's probably best I leave it and just "discount" the piece. It's really not that bad. You can see it unless you are right up in it, so 

Here's a before and after










Thanks for everyone's help and advice!


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## PappyHoel (Aug 7, 2015)

That looks great and my wife did something very similar to all our bedroom furniture.  Yall are crafty!


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## SarahFair (Aug 7, 2015)

PappyHoel said:


> That looks great and my wife did something very similar to all our bedroom furniture.  Yall are crafty!


You're wife is lucky! 
I don't get to touch my bedroom suit, which is dire need of revamping 

Thank you!


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## Wild Turkey (Aug 7, 2015)

Did that stain have poly or some other type of finish mixed with it?


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## shakey gizzard (Aug 8, 2015)

Awesome! Nice color combo!


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## SarahFair (Aug 8, 2015)

Wild Turkey said:


> Did that stain have poly or some other type of finish mixed with it?


Nope. I've used that same can for many different projects and haven't come across this problem 



shakey gizzard said:


> Awesome! Nice color combo!


Thank you!


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## wvdawg (Aug 8, 2015)

Wow!  Beautiful transformation!


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## karen936 (Aug 8, 2015)

Nice job Sarah


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## walkinboss01 (Aug 8, 2015)

Very nice work.


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