Help with staining...

[Chuck Ford]

I finished my daughters bookcase yesterday. It was made from 3/4" birch ply with a 3/4" pine face frame, edgebanding and moulding. I'm starting tomorrow.....any suggestions on the staining process before I begin? 

[Rick]

After sanding, you can wipe it with spirits, and you can see what the wood will look like once the (oil based) finish is on. You can also see right away if glue has seeped out on the wood.  Recently I bought some pine veneered door jambs, and when I started staining them, the manufacturer had allowed glue to seep out and be wiped on the face.  It was too thin to re-sand, and looked terrible.  Ugh!

Birch ply and pine can also be a little splotchy when stained, so it helps to use Minwax Wood Conditioner or Zinsser Seal Coat.

Nice book shelf!

[Chuck Ford]

Thanks Rick you've been a big help. I really appreciate this.

[Sean Cottman]

I've had good results with 3-4 coats, 1-2 hours in between coats . Eliminate dust with microfiber cloths from the auto section at wal-mart. Then finish with minwax poly. I like satin for some projects and gloss with others. Being patient is the hard part when waiting fr the coats to dry. I've had success too by using a heat gun carefully to hasten the process. Problem is, it will stink like fumes until things cure up fully.

[Chuck Ford]

Thanks Sean this sounds like good advice. I'll let you know how it comes out.