Anyone here stain Birch wood before

[Elite]

I know it's a PIR to stain Birch but I heard it's possible if you use the conditioner. Anyone done this before??

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Stained it tons of times. No prob. Didn't have to do anything special.

Looks great. Not all gaudy textured like oak.

 

[Elite]

You don't have the blotching problem?? I heard that happen a lot with Birch.
Oh what color did you use?

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Just prep your wood evenly. Birch has some natural variation in dark and lighter grain, and that's part of what you want with birch. Otherwise go for maple.

If you are talking about different porosity, you can just make adjustments for different areas by using more or less stain, leaving it on longer or shorter, wiping more or less, etc.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Color?

All kinds. Made tons of cabinets, bookcases, shelves, whatever. All kinds of colors. Various type stain products including commercial and custom mixed pigments.

For off the shelf products, Watco oil is super easy and looks good.

 

[Elite]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9862012#post9862012 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr. Ugly
Just prep your wood evenly. Birch has some natural variation in dark and lighter grain, and that's part of what you want with birch. Otherwise go for maple.

If you are talking about different porosity, you can just make adjustments for different areas by using more or less stain, leaving it on longer or shorter, wiping more or less, etc.

That would be a hard then because a bit more or less will cause an uneven finish. I like the dark red color. Have you ever use the wood conditioner?

 

[raddogz]

Phong, I have a can of the wood conditioner if you want it.

Let me know if you want to pick up from my work.

 

[Elite]

It's OK Eileen. Thanks

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9862088#post9862088 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elite
Have you ever use the wood conditioner?

One of the groups I manage does custom cabinet work. We've done literally tons of birch casework. We've never used wood conditioner ever.

 

[Elite]

Cool.. I will test my staining skill this weekend

Thanks Norman

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Just sand the wood evenly and clean before staining.

Any scuffs and abrasions will show the stain darker.

 

[Elite]

The plywood I bought is high quality stuff but I will sand it smooth and clean before staining.

Thanks N.

 

[Qwiv]

It depends on the stain you are using elite. Birch has problems with stains that are known to penetrate. These end up being the worst offenders. It also depends on how the stain is applied. A sprayed stain will normally look ok. Brush/rag applied liquid stains and you are asking for trouble. The gel stains are thicker then regular stain and work better.

All the conditioner does is seal the wood. Most are some part thinner and one part sealer. 7:1 to 15:1 is common. These seal the wood so the stain comes out even. They also reduce the grain in the wood that shows.

If you want red, I would suggest you shade the wood, not stain it. Or find a stain that shows the grain, then shade it to the red you like.

Check out the woodweb website for more info than you would ever want on stains, etc. Kinda like RC for woodworkers

 

[Elite]

I dont have equipment for spraying. I will use the brush or rag to apply the stain. I will check into the Gel stain.

how do you shade the wood??

Thanks

 

[Qwiv]

Shading wood is coloring the wood after it is sealed, like painting a candy color on a car.
This site should help you.
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Staining_and_Blending_Difficult_Woods.html