OK, OK, so I know this is cheating, but…
I’ve made this cheap birch table for the kids. Originally, I was going to paint it with chalkboard paint and call it a day. But now they are really into checkers. So my question is:
Is there any way to mask off a checkerboard pattern and stain half of the squares dark without bleeding into the “white” squares?
Replies
This is a problem I have had too. You might mask off a test sample and try some gel stain. Anything really liquid will bleed over.
I watched Norm once, staining a table with stringing and an inlay. He applied a coat of shellac over the areas he did not want to stain it helped keep the stain from bleeding. Then I think you can remove the shellac with alchohol or mineral spirits. Someone here probably has far more expereince on this than i do.
Hope this helps in the interim.
Webby
Maybe you could make and use a template and spray the color on . I know you said stain but ,,, a more opaque material may cooperate better in this application .
regards dusty
I've accomplished this using two methods. Neither is foolproof. Experiment/practice first.
1. Mask off the area to be kept unstained. I use the tan masking tape, you don't want to use the blue stuff here. The green tape that resists lacquer may be even better. Incise lines on the boundaries between stained and not. Cut right through the tape, cut a fairly deep but thin line. Peel off the tape that is on the area to be stained, leave it on the other areas. Go ahead and stain. The idea here is that the incised line will act as a break to capillary action.
2. Incise lines between areas, no need for masking tape. Using shellac, varnish, etc. cover the areas to remain free from stain. Again, the incised line will act as a barrier keeping the clear coat from bleeding into the area to receive stain. It will continue to act as a barrier along with the dried varnish when stain is applied.
I have NO idea but have made some for the kids..
Mask the top with that BLUE painters tape.. Router and a guide using a small 'Z' bit.. Stain some dark color in the 'V' and let dry as long as possible.. Clean up as you have to.. Do not remove the tape.. Shellac the grooves.. Remove the blute tape.. Go for it...
Old sayin' ..... Try It Before You Buy It!
If you are going to use masking tape, don't use blue painters tape. Use the translucent green fine line tape. Much less bleed around the edges.
I agree but more expensive! AND Hard to find!
Our local Home Depot carries both green and blue.Greg
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You all can put down any kind of tape you want, but if you don't strike a line to stop capillary action, the stain will draw right down the end grain into the other area.
I'd mask off for finishing the white squares first. Then I would put a barrier on the white that would prevent the stain from getting to the white: Sanding sealer, shellac, etc. or maybe a heavy coat of paste wax.
Then I would mask for finishing the black squares. I would use a quick application of stain and not leave it long enough to soak and bleed over.
First, I would test this on a few pcs of scrap.
Greg
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On second thought , don't cheat , do it the right way not the bigbox way.
dusty
Try a water soluble dye not an oil based stain.
Usually you would dampen the surface with water, wait till dry and sand down the raised grain. You would then slightly dampen the surface again and apply the dye, this is so you can control the absorption and consistency of the dye. In your case you don't want to dampen the wood a second time. this usually means that the thirsty wood will absorb the dye where you put it.
My experience has been positive in regard to getting a clean line. The problem is you must wipe off the excess after the dye dries and that can lead to smearing. Because some of the fine dye crystallizes (dries) on the surface, this can potentially lead to flaking in a finish. I have not tried masking off areas though so this may solve the smearing? give it a try.
Chaim
Not sure if this is within your design parameters, but why not paint, particularly if you were originally going to paint the table in the first place.
I just completed painting a Bellamy Eagle carving reproduction. I'd had the most experience with milk paint, and was going to use it, but a friend in the same carving apprenticeship suggested using acrylic paint (she's an artist and graphic designer).
She was right on the money - I bought Liquitex acrylic paints from Jerry's Artarama (http://www.jerrysartarama.com), and they were incredibly easy to work with. The brushes clean up perfectly with soap and water, and you can buy something called "Glazing Medium" that allows you to thin the paint to a wash with the barest hint of color, all the way to using the paint straight out of the bottle, which is quite thick.
Given the thickness of this paint, it might be just right for your application.
It's funny you said that - I was just looking at using an milk paint glaze to provide a wash of color.The best part is, it's a "green" product with no nasty VOC's to deal with.
Based on experience using both (I frequently use milk paint on colonial repros), I'd use acrylic. They're water based, so no nasty VOCs, and they dry hard and glossy, which will be perfect for an abrasion environment (checkers sliding across the table). With the Glazing medium, you can dilute the acrylic nearly ten to one, and further thin it about 25% with water.
Milk paint has it's place, but I don't think I'd want to use it where a shiny, flat finish is needed. You can overcoat it with varnish, of course, but that's an extra step, and has lots of those nasty VOCs.
I've used masking fluid from the art store with great success. It can be a little tedious to apply but it stops the capillary action causing bleed through.
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