staining problems

[pcdreams]

We recently built a new kitchen counter and used poplar for the top.. Long story short .. after the first coat of stain I got a little over anxious with sanding in a couple spots (the stain started to gel under the heat of the sand paper) so I took some courser (150 grit) and took those spots back to bare wood.

Now my problem is I can't get those spots to take stain and come up to the color depth of the rest of the top..

I'd love some suggestions..I been beating my brain for the past few days on this.

[Randy Rooster]

I hate to tell you this, but to get it to all match, you are most likely going to have to take it all back down to bare wood. I would also suggest minwax pre stain sealer prior to the stain. Some woods such as pines and poplar do not take stains evenly and will get blotchy looking unless you pre seal the wood.

Good luck with it.

[pcdreams]

would I use a chemical paint stripper to do this? I've not done much stain work..

Got a can of the presealer.. Hopefully I'll remember to put it on this time. LOL

[Randy Rooster]

You will need to sand down to bare wood- stripper probably wont touch it.

[tiogacounty]

Once you get it back down to bare wood, mix up four parts mineral spirits to one part oil based ureathane, apply with a rag or brush and let it dry overnight. This is a pre-stain sealer that will give you a much more even appearance. You can buy the same stuff from Minwax, but it's a lot more money. Be sure to really seal out any moisture especially arround the sink. Poplar rots very quickly.

[kmaproperties]

sealers work well to even out the coverage, and color, but it is harder to get a dark rich color. you will need to do more coats ,so don't get frustrated.