# Removing Stain



## waqasr (21 Apr 2016)

Hi guys, first post here. First time I've ever done some wood work and my dads a retired carpenter  .

Anyway, ive got a pair of floor standing speakers ive covered with some cheery veneer and its come out very nice to my surprise. 

However the stain I brought from B&Q is not to my liking, also it is blotchy and uneven looking.

So first I need to somehow remove this stain (its water based if that makes any difference) and I need your advice on how to do this best and what stripper to buy from b&q, wickes, homebase etc.

Once thats done how do I make sure the stain goes on even? Ive read about pre stain conditioners but cant find any. The finish Ive decided to go for is a Rosewood colour, It will be high gloss as I'll be shooting a 2k clear over it and sanding all the orange peel out and buffing up.

Thanks.


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## undergroundhunter (21 Apr 2016)

Stripper won't remove stain, strippers available to the public are next to useless these days. The best way is to sand or scrape the stain off but if they are veneered then you risk cutting through the no doubtfully very thin veneer. The only other thing you could try is some oxalic acid but make sure you take the proper precautions. 

Personally I would try and work with the existing finish to create something more to your taste.

Some pictures may help.

Matt


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Apr 2016)

Try a spirit based, darker dye over what you've got? Veneer doesn't leave any scope for deep sanding, it's usually only 0.6mm thick. Use a coloured finish coat as well. Next time try to save a few bits of scrap to try your finishes on - it can save you grief. Glad your veneer is happy, though.


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## ED65 (21 Apr 2016)

You've learned an important lesson here, always test finishes before they go on the job! Doesn't matter how nice the test strips in the shop look, it might not look good on your piece of wood  Unfortunately you found out the hard way that cherry is a blotch-prone wood.



waqasr":1hz1o2ra said:


> So first I need to somehow remove this stain (its water based if that makes any difference) and I need your advice on how to do this best and what stripper to buy from b&q, wickes, homebase etc.


Because this is stain and because it's on veneer you're in a pickle. But these days not everything sold as stain _is _stain. Can you link to the product you used?

If this is real stain you used it soaks into wood, doesn't sit on the surface. Although the penetration is very shallow veneers aren't thick so you have little margin for error once you need to remove any wood. Bottom line is it may be impossible and you have no choice but to overcoat, or strip the veneer and start again.



waqasr":1hz1o2ra said:


> Once thats done how do I make sure the stain goes on even? Ive read about pre stain conditioners but cant find any.


Those are just thinned finish, you can use diluted shellac or varnish for this if you need to. These partially seal the over-absorbent areas of woods that are prone to blotching so they take up the colour more uniformly. 

If you can get your stuff off or starting with fresh veneer these links should help a lot in getting a better result the next time:
Staining Blotch-Prone Woods and Endgrain
How to Stain Wood Evenly Without Getting Blotches and Dark Spots


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## waqasr (21 Apr 2016)

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes lesson learnt indeed. Ill post some pictures up later in the evening.


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## custard (22 Apr 2016)

I'll guess you've used a water based aniline dye and if so you'll have to sand hard to get rid of it. Hard sanding, starting at 80 grit, on 0.6mm thick commercial veneer isn't a risk free plan. Sometimes I've gotten away with it, sometimes I haven't. 

For future reference there's two main groups of American Cherry and each favours a different finishing regime. Highly figured Cherry, sometimes called Curly Cherry, naturally shows a holographic type effect. If you want to make that figure stand out then by all means use an aniline dye followed by a top coat (varnish, oil, whatever you want). On the other hand regular Cherry will just go blotchy if you use a stain or a dye, you can leave it out in bright sun for a few days which will darken it dramatically, and then top coat with a water white finish, or if you want to get a colour change without blotching use a Gel Stain like the one from General Finishes

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/pp+woodworkin ... ins+e07104

Good luck!


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## RogerS (24 Apr 2016)

Could the blotchiness also be caused by bleed through of the glue? If so then sanding and applying another finish runs the risk of a similar blotched appearance.


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## custard (24 Apr 2016)

RogerS":m3v2jmu0 said:


> Could the blotchiness also be caused by bleed through of the glue? If so then sanding and applying another finish runs the risk of a similar blotched appearance.



You're right that bleed through can be an issue with veneer, but it tends to be confined to pretty specific situations and almost always when using slow setting UF adhesives. Sycamore is notorious for this and the solution is either PVA, or additives to UF that thicken the adhesive and accelerate the setting time. Personally I've never encountered bleed through with Cherry and PVA, and I've probably laid hundreds of square metres, but I guess there's a first time for everything.


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