Replies

1. 
   spotcheck | Oct 05, 2009 04:07pm | #1

   1.  Glaze as/where needed is one option maybe to even out the color?

   2.  Maybe take a light RO sander pass to the entire thing - will take you back a step, and remove some-not-all of the stain, but should set it all up.  Or, hand sand where the RO had been used if that is easier?

   3.  I, too, have stained cherry (and as you said - don't ask).  Whenever I use cherry, regardless of targeted final finish, I ALWAYS put down 1-2 coats of 1.5# extra pale shellac as a wash/sealer coat as Step One.  This evens out the appearance - especially the Notorious Cherry Blotching Phenomenon.  Not that this helps you today.

1. 
   RKWIII | Oct 06, 2009 09:27am | #4

   Thanks for your comments - i will remember the shellac tip. This was my first pass at cherry. I love working with it, but should have read more before staining. One other question - do you think the lighter parts will eventually darken as the wood naturally ages?

1. 
   spotcheck | Oct 06, 2009 02:08pm | #5

   Well, yeah, it will ALL darken (reddish) over time - but what I don't know is will those areas darken faster and catch up with the other?  Or, at least, within some time frame you are comfortable with.  Outta my experience level here, I'm afraid.

   ANyone else?

1. 
   Beckum | Oct 13, 2009 12:08am | #6

   Your best bet is going to be to strip out what stain you can and then sand it down and start over. Sorry :(If you're talk about the sap wood, almost white areas in some cherry, then no. They will always be a lot lighter then the rest of the wood. If there is much sap wood, I do a funny thing with cherry. First of all, cherry has so much going on with the grain that it doesn't except stain evenly. Because of that, you have to either over kill the color you put on or take advantage of the effect. I like doing the latter of the two. I start off with a wash coat (1# cut) of de-waxed shellac on the end grain only. Sand the flats to where I want them, and then I use Minwax cherry stain and I don't let it soak in like it says on the can. I wipe it off right behind application. (about 1-2 secs at most) By going with a stain that is close to the primary color of the wood, you don't get as much blotching and it pulls more color into the sap wood. I let that stand and cure for a few days and then I do a second coat with a longer standing time before I wipe off the excess. I let that cure for as long as I can stand it. (I hate waiting for it to cure) It seems to pull the grain out without being too uneven on the color. After that, lots of clear coats of shellac or lacquer, depending how the piece is going to be used.Best of luck!

2. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Oct 14, 2009 04:56am | #7

   Still another option is to,well, don't do anything special/different.  Try using the pieces to create an effect, i.e. a sapwood edging.  O realize it might be to late for this but maybe in the future? 

   I've got some cherry pieces that have a lot of sapwood in them; some with very sriking grain patterns.  Celebrate the differences.  It is wood afterall and therein lies its beauty.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

1. 
   RKWIII | Oct 14, 2009 07:26pm | #8

   great idea with the edging - thanks

3. 
   forestgirl | Oct 14, 2009 11:26pm | #9

   "...but should have read more before staining."  Ahhhh, even more important than reading is:  trying out the entire finishing schedule on scrap wood.  If you listen carefully right now, you'll hear a huge chorus "Don't ask us how we know this!"  You've plenty of company.

    forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   RKWIII | Oct 15, 2009 08:12am | #10

   true wisdom!

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Oct 05, 2009 05:43pm | #2

   There are several possibilities for correcting the problem. 

   The easiest solution is probably already past for you, but let me mention it for the benefit of others.  When you see a staining problem like this--usually apparent just after you have wiped off the excess stain--you can remove the stain before it cures by wiping it off with plenty of mineral spirits.  Then you can make a more uniform sanding (always let hand sanding be the final step). 

   Once the stain has had a chance to cure, it takes more work, or attempts with less chance of success.  Probably the best would be to use chemical stripper to remove as much of the stain as you can, being sure to use plenty of mineral spirits or lacquer thinner to remove residual stripper.  This is tedious, but not too difficult since one coat of stain that has cured for only a short period won't resist stripping all that much.  Then again you can evenly sand and restain. 

   A short cut, which only has a chance of working, is to just hand sand the light areas where you sanded with the ROS, and restain.  Then give a second coat of stain over the entire surface.  (Second coats, when well wiped off don't darken very much more.)  If this isn't acceptable--and be critical, kitchens are important to the overall feel of a home--then you can remove that second coat of stain before it cures, and then strip the remaining coat and essentially start over. 

   Yes, you could use a glaze, or perhaps a gel stain as glaze, but you will be obscuring the wood grain more and more.  Personally, I don't like those results very often. 

   You can't use a dye over the existing stain.  Dye needs to be used over bare wood or wood with only a very light wash coat of a sealer. Colored wax won't survive in a kitchen setting.   

1. 
   RKWIII | Oct 06, 2009 09:24am | #3

   Steve, thanks so much for your comments - i wish i would have consulted you prior to finishing the cabinets - i like your ideas. Thanks much for taking the time to post. I am a bit wiser for the wear