Question about Varathane worn navy stain
by
Louise
+2
I've been working on two of these chairs FOREVER and thought I was nearly finished. I took the chairs apart to work on the the wood and to put new covers on the back and seat. In the beginning, I sanded the wood and painted it deep red but decided I didn't want that, so took all the paint off and then sanded it really well, ending with a 400 grit, making it nice and smooth. Removed the dust with a tack cloth. Now my plan is to use dark blue stain (Varathane worn navy). Using a brush, I applied the stain but it didn't seem to absorb into the wood at all. I admit I didn't let it sit on the wood for the required 3 minutes because it was running all over the place. But when I wiped off the excess, the wood was in no way blue -- just a tiny bit darker than what I started with. Soooo, what have I done wrong and how do I fix it? I only did one of the four pieces of wood, thankfully. PS -- I plan to use this same stain for the top of a round oak dining table so I really need to figure out my problem.
I suggest you apply the stain with a sponge roller on the back side (inside where it won't be seen) of a piece of the wood and letting it sit. Then wipe off small sections at intervals of 2 minutes until you get the coverage you like. I suspect you will need it to set at least 7 minutes. If you cannot get the deep color you want in this way, you can just apply the stain and wait for it to dry before sealing. Good luck.
Did you ever strip those chairs? cause those old office chairs are pretty impregnated with top coat. And I would sure take my new upholstry off, so you can stain the wood without ruining your new fabric. Once your sure there is no finish left on the chair then stain and let it sit till you get the depth of color you want. Then spray with a spar varnish top coat when dry.
Those chairs are impregnated with a silicone sealant. Absorbs deep into the grain. Painting will work, but trying to stain an already stained item won't work. It does not absorb. You can use a gel stain which basically stays more on the surface.
I know very little about stain. I'll look into a gel stain.