You may have much better results if you look into using a dye rather than a stain. There is a huge difference in the result especially on woods like maple and birch. Stain is a lot like a paint in that it contains very large particle size that tend to sit on the wood surface. Dye particles are many times smaller in size and penetrate into the wood cells rather than just sit on the surface. In simple terms think of a wood cell as a soda straw. Big particles can flow into the end of the straw but not the side. Woods like maple have large variation in the structure of cells (Think of it as areas with both open and closed cells, ie the end or side of the straw). This creates the blotchy effect that you can visually see. It takes a little practice to get the hang of dye application but well worth it in my view. |