Finally got that old oak table to take a stain evenly

I've been working on this 1940s table for a client in Springfield for two weeks, and the top just wouldn't accept color. I stripped it three times, sanded it down to 220 grit, and still got blotches. On a whim, I tried a 1lb cut of dewaxed shellac as a sealer coat before the stain. Let it dry overnight, sanded it lightly with 320, and the Minwax Provincial went on like a dream this morning. It's the first time I've seen that trick work so perfectly. Has anyone else had a stubborn piece that only responded to a specific sealer?

3 comments

3 Comments

willowroberts3mo ago

Oh nice! I had a walnut dresser that fought me like that. Turns out someone had used an old oil based polish on it for years. The shellac trick worked for me too, but I had to use a 2lb cut because the wood was just drinking everything.

umab351mo ago

Wood just drinking everything" made me laugh because I had a similar issue with an old oak table that had been sitting in a barn for years. I tried everything, even let it sit with a coat of danish oil overnight, and it still looked like a dry sponge the next morning. Turned out the previous owner had been using a combination of boiled linseed oil and turpentine that had basically sealed the pores shut. I ended up stripping it with a heat gun and then resealing with a thin shellac, which finally let the stain soak in evenly.

eric_murphy363mo ago

Wood just drinking everything" is my middle name. I once put three coats of stain on a pine shelf and it still looked thirsty. I felt like I was feeding a tiny wooden black hole.