Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Maple finish
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04-22-01, 10:38 AM
I want to slightly darken new maple cabinets. Oil based pigment stains obscure the wood grain and give an awful muddy appearence. I tried an amber shellac which gave a nice yellow appearence. Can this be overcoated with a satin polyurethane to add durability? What other alternatives to give a slightly darker color to the maple to match some fir and pine trim and doors that will have a polyurethane finish? Will the maple darken somewhat with time and sunlight like cherry? What happens to shellac with sunlight and tme? Are the water soluable dyes difficult to use? I have a painter who seems fairly unenlightened at finishing beautiful wood.Any thoughts? Thanks.
George
04-22-01, 01:28 PM
Let's take the questions in order.
Some poly's will allow shellac as an undercoat, some won't. Best try what you have on a sample piece. Let the shellac dry for a couple of hours then over coat with the poly and let dry over night. Then see if you can scratch off the poly with your fingernail. If not, you're home free on that one.
Of course, if it says on the can don't use shellac, don't.
One alternative to stain in slightly darkening the appearance would be doing what's called glazing. This is simply overlaying the existing finish (shellac in this case) with a heavy-bodied pigmented stain - and wiping off what you don't want. Glazes come in a complete range of standard colors, such as Burnt and Raw Umber, Burnt and Raw Sienna, Van Dyke Brown, etc. Once applied to your satisfaction, glazes should be allowed to dry 48 hours before proceeding to make certain the brushing action in applying the poly doesn't move the glaze around.
Whether or not the maple darkens depends on the type of maple as well as the finish applied. Birdseye maple usually darkends slightly, most others do not. Almost every finish available at the retail level will yellow somewhat with age and exposure to sunlight... and that includes shellac.
Water soluble dyes have one drawback. Get it right the first time or live with what you have. Experimentation on scraps of the SAME WOOD in order to determine the color and shade is a must. On the positive side, they don't muddy the grain up the wood like pigmented stains can.
If I can confuse you further, come on back...
Some poly's will allow shellac as an undercoat, some won't. Best try what you have on a sample piece. Let the shellac dry for a couple of hours then over coat with the poly and let dry over night. Then see if you can scratch off the poly with your fingernail. If not, you're home free on that one.
Of course, if it says on the can don't use shellac, don't.
One alternative to stain in slightly darkening the appearance would be doing what's called glazing. This is simply overlaying the existing finish (shellac in this case) with a heavy-bodied pigmented stain - and wiping off what you don't want. Glazes come in a complete range of standard colors, such as Burnt and Raw Umber, Burnt and Raw Sienna, Van Dyke Brown, etc. Once applied to your satisfaction, glazes should be allowed to dry 48 hours before proceeding to make certain the brushing action in applying the poly doesn't move the glaze around.
Whether or not the maple darkens depends on the type of maple as well as the finish applied. Birdseye maple usually darkends slightly, most others do not. Almost every finish available at the retail level will yellow somewhat with age and exposure to sunlight... and that includes shellac.
Water soluble dyes have one drawback. Get it right the first time or live with what you have. Experimentation on scraps of the SAME WOOD in order to determine the color and shade is a must. On the positive side, they don't muddy the grain up the wood like pigmented stains can.
If I can confuse you further, come on back...