Blotchy Finishes When Staining a Door

Checking Technique

• Staining neophytes may not take seriously the caution to wipe off all excess stain promptly and thoroughly. After all, stain needs to penetrate wood. Wiping is still needed. If your finished door is blotchy, perhaps some of the stain excess was brushed on but not wiped off thoroughly. Moisten a cloth towel with mineral spirits, if your stain is oil-based, and wipe the door down. If patches of stain appear on the cloth, fold it and keep wiping. You may be able to even out your job just by removing excess stain.

Sealing Wood

• Like human skin, wood has pores of varying sizes. Some hardwoods are very dense and pores are small. Woods like cherry, hard rock maple and birch manifest their small pores in narrow subdued color striations, or a fine grain, throughout. Other hardwoods and most softwoods have larger, more open pores, visible in stronger color striations, or coarse grain. These woods can benefit from a coat of sealer applied before staining. Sealing pores means a more even stain color, although some professionals feel this diminishes the beautify of the wood.

Filling Pores

• An alternative to all-over sealing is filling the large pores of coarse-grained wood. These pastelike coatings can be applied with or without previous sealing, in their natural colors or mixed with stain. Using a pore-sealer prevents some sections of the wood from absorbing more stain than other parts, resulting in a more even finish.

Staining

• Applying stain after sealing and/or pore sealing should produce more even coverage. Paint stain on in a thin coat and wipe it down thoroughly. Color can be intensified by applying a second or even third thin coat, rather than by applying a single thick coat. Wipe thoroughly between coats and let the door dry thoroughly before adding more stain.

Filling

• A final top coat of filler or transparent finish may be needed to produce the smooth results you want. Filler can be made by diluting shellac with an equal part of mineral spirits. Other top coats include varnish or polyurethane, which are available in low-gloss or soft-gloss finishes, as well as high gloss.

Refinishing the Finish

• Take the following steps to even out your blotchy finish if rewiping the stain does not produce results. Sand the door lightly all over. Wipe off any sanding residue. Apply a coat of sealer. This will help even out the absorption of stain all over the door and will also keep your blotchy finish from bleeding through the revamp. Sand lightly and apply a second coat if the wood still seems rough in places. Apply a coat of stain and wipe it down. Apply a second coat if needed. Your blotchy first job should now look more like the work of an experienced wood finisher.