I’m putting stain on a project and I’ve run into a problem. The finish is Minwax Red Mahogany, the wood is poplar. I applied one coat and it was a little lighter than I wanted so I put on another coat and put it on thick. I let it dry over 24 hrs and it was still quite tacky. I went back and wiped it down with a dry cloth and it seemed to help but it seems to be drying slowly – if at all. I am in Georgia and we’ve had quite a bit of rain (hallelujah!!) so this may be contributing to the situation, however, I have a dehumidifier in the shop and it keeps the humidity to around 50%. Here’s my question:
Will this dry eventually? An if not, how should I proceed from here? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Cole
Replies
Stains are not meant to be put on thick. They are meant to be applied and then substantially wiped off after a short period for penetration. Minwax stains are somewhat notorious for having drying problems.
I would first see if you can remove a substantial portion of the stain with mineral spirits. That will only work on uncured stain, so if it takes off a lot, then the curing was not proceeding well. Report how that works and we can go from there.
Humidity of 50% should not be a factor retarding in the drying.
Everyone,
Thanks for the advice. I'll give it some time to dry. I have to leave town in a couple of days so I'll wait till I get back to do anything. If it's still tacky I'll wipe it down with mineral spirits, or strip and start over if it comes to it. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your help.
Cole
Red Mahogany, I assume you applied a varnish stain. The first question is how old was the product? If it was past it's shelf life, it might not dry at all or take quite awhile. My guess is it is your humidity and application thickness. People are looking for high build so they put on too much product in one application. I bet it will dry over time. If it is still tacky after a week you will have to think about stripping it and starting over, but don't rush it if you don't have to. Don't apply a new product over a tacky surface it will never dry. If you have to strip it you might want to think about separate stain and finish. I am not a big fan of Minwax products so I guess I would advise another finish. General Finishes makes very good products and Pratt and Lambert is excellent as well.
Cole,
You received good advice from both posters so far. You must wipe off excess stain or you will have problems with your finish. If you are not getting a dark enough color you can try a second coat or their are different ways to go about it. But you can't paint the stuff on. You should also try to stay away from buying your finishing products at the big box stores (read Minwax), buy quality products (read not Minwax) from a paint dealer or online. I can give you several good websites to purchase your finishing materials from if you are interested.
Rob
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