Q: I have completed the woodwork on a white-oak table and need to color it dark brown. I tried the usual commercial stains, which colored the grain cathedrals on the face sides, but hardly colored the long grain at all. So I went to The New Wood Finishing Book and checked out your pages on pigment stains and glazes, and applied raw umber Japan Color in Zinsser’s Glazing compound with the paint pad you show on page 132, wiping off the excess, but with not much success. At this point I’m very discouraged and running out of hidden spots to test. All I want is a dark brown color to the oak.
A: You read the right book, but the wrong pages. That section is on glazing, not staining. Read pages 78 through 80. Pay special attention to the line at the bottom of page 78 that says “Dyes impart strong uniform color. On woods like oak, dye makes the grain patterns less obvious by coloring the background wood as intensely as the grain.” Also, look at the photo at the top of page 80. The left side of the photo shows oak with pigment above oak with dye. See the difference? From what you are saying, you want to be using dye, not pigment.
Gentle reminder: A modest donation to this finishing blog can keep it going to help others. Thanks!
Leave a Reply