Keep Messing Up Wood Stain What To Do? [Pics]

[ILikeDIYS]

Newbie to wood colouring. Mum bought table - wrong colour: light pine wood. Need to stain to look more like walnut or another darker wood.

Sanded - Stained 3 coats (by this time it looked really bad) - painted with 3-in-1 stain/varnish to fix it.

After stain 3 coats:

After 1 coat 3-in-1 (tub in background):

Here's one my mum stained (not sure what the heck went wrong here?):

Basically it looks insanely blotchy until the 3-in-1 is added. Problem is the 3-in-1 is kinda "cheating" as it's a stain in itself.

Can anyone aware me of what I'm doing wrong and why the results are like this? Read somewhere that gel stains fix blotchyness but can't find them anywhere in UK.

Thanks.

 

[JohnD]

wood dye will work on sanded bare wood, not on varnished, stained, oiled, waxed or wet.

is the table top solid pine, or veneered chipboard?

 

[ILikeDIYS]

wood dye will work on sanded bare wood, not on varnished, stained, oiled, waxed or wet.

is the table top solid pine, or veneered chipboard?

Solid pine. I sanded the table top down but not sure if 100% as the battery ran out. You think the light parts are where the varnish wasn't sanded off completely?

What about sandpaper grit? I read somewhere steel wooling is good before staining (cuts the flappy wood parts left from sanding) but it seems to gloss the wood up sealing it almost.

 

[JohnD]

I think the patchiness is where the absorbency of the wood was not equalised, so it might be traces of varnish. Although the dye you show is in a solvent base, it's worth wiping it over with white spirit after sanding, since pine can be oily.

you can rub it down by hand, using a cork or similar sanding block, up and down the grain.

I know the dye instructions say apply it with a rag, but I use a paintbrush and brush it out well so it's all soaked in. I get excellent results.

you get better results using a dye and a clear, untinted varnish or oil than by using a coloured stain or varnish. The colour will vary according to the thickness of the film and any wear.