RE: Cherry Finish on Maple

> >I have a maple buffet to refinish.  The piece is ready to be stained.
> >My problem is the customer wants it to be finished with a cherry finish.
> >Are there any products that will give me the deep cherry finish required?
> >Roxanne Yaremus




when i have this problem...i use mohawk heavy bodied stain. 
usually have to mix them to get my color and follow with tint in my laquer. 

hope this helps

michelle
wood not shop


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Roxanne,

We finish maple with a "cherry" finish all day long (not to say that our
method is the best).  We use a alcohol based dye stain as a base coat 
(light red) which penetrates deep into the wood and then follow up with 
a pigmented wiping stain (usually reddish brown) on top of the dye.  

We have found that this gives us a deep rich "cherry" color that has lots 
of depth and is easy to apply.  If you try to get that dark color with just 
a wiping stain the pigments will have to be so high that it is difficult to 
wipe it on evenly (especially in the corners) and you will not necessarily 
get the depth. 

If this sounds interesting to you please feel free to contact me 
and i will give you specifics on our process.

Hope this helps,

TonyA
NC


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Daniel writes:

Washcoat the piece so you can minimize blotching. Stain it with a
pigmented wiping stain. Any cherry or mahogany color from almost any
stain company will do since you do not have to match any existing
furniture (I assume). Washcoat. Wipe with a burnt umber glaze and dry
brush to spread the glaze around (see the inside cover of the new
Masters Magic catalog for some decent pictures of dry brushing). Topcoat
(this step not only locks in the glaze but until now, you do not get the
full beauty of your staining). Make a toning lacquer of some dark burnt
umber NGR. Tone. Topcoats.

Instead of the first washcoat, you can spray on a staincoat of some
reduced NGR (reduce with denatured alcohol. Don't flood this on. But
don't dust it on either. The stain should dry almost as soon as it hits
the wood. You want minimal penetration. Then you can washcoat over this.

If your customer is asking you for faux bois, then the schedule above is
all wrong. But if they are asking you for the "cherry" look that you see
on cherry-stained kitchen cabinets, staining, glazing, and toning is
what the manufacturers do. You do not have to tone, but it does tie
everything together. Off-the-shelf stain companies market their stains
as if their one product will give you the look of furniture that you see
in retail stores. But if you build the color with a simple finishing
schedule, then you will end up with a project that has a finish like
these do:

http://www.hookerfurniture.com/images/theater6.jpg
http://www.hookerfurniture.com/images/theater5.jpg
http://www.hookerfurniture.com/product/bed5.htm 
http://www.hookerfurniture.com/product/wallunit2.htm

These pieces all have maple solids that blend right in with whatever the
show veneers are.

Daniel Shafner

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Bill Linder writes:

Roxanne,

I just turned a maple bowl for my daughter for Christmas.  She wanted to
match a cherry bowl that I did for my wife a while back.  I did like Alan
suggested and wiped on two coats of "wild cherry" stain that I got from 
a cabinet manufacturer, it's a little darker than plain cherry and seemed
proper for maple.  It needed an extra touch on the lighter areas, so I did
that.  Still it was a little too light and choppy looking. I made a toner
with the stain and Sherwin Williams conversion varnish and sprayed two
coats.  It looked good but I wanted a little bit more, (that's where I got
into trouble).  The temp. was too cold and too humid, and I sprayed it 
with a clear coat outside, since I have no booth and it came out lumpy.

I learned about the lubricant and steel wool from our more than wonderful
Refinishing Groop web site and rubbed the bowl with veggie oil and  0000
wool, of course this was after a few days of drying out.  This technique
leveled out the finish exactly like I had hoped it would.  I was searching
around locally for some rottenstone to go over this with  no luck.  A friend
that owns a paint store told me to rub the bowl with plain brown paper bag,
(which are getting harder to find these days).  This brought a decent luster
back to the finish and was a  pretty good trick.  

Finally, I rubbed it down with Johnson's Paste Wax and let dry for an 
hour and wiped off with a dry terrycloth towel.  This turned out to be 
the most beautiful thing I have ever created, so I think I'll keep it....
(just kidding!)


~~~~~~~~

Roxanne,

Maple has a tendency to blotch when stained.  Strip and sand 
the bottom of the table and use it as a test bed for your color. 
(I'm assuming it is solid maple.)

Use a pre-sealer (Wood Conditioner by Minwax) prior to staining.  
This will reduce but not eliminate blotching.  Follow with Red Oak 
stain by Minwax mixed with a little bit of Ebony Minwax stain.  
This will get you close.

Spray tone if needed.

~RichC.


~~~~~~~~


Best way to do it is, with a dye stain. sealer, wipe stain, and glaze.  
Then topcoats.  Will never get the rich depth with one stain alone.

Nancy Stell


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