I’m in a bit of a dilemma. I have a bunch of rough cut full dimension pine boards ranging from 2x4x14 to a bunch of 1x boards. HO wanted the rough cut look. She further wanted the stain to match the stained logs in her home. The rough sawn wood is to be used to make fake ceiling beams and to trim out windows and wall/ceiling joints. We tried several sample stains on a test board. HO picked Dark Walnut (I thought for sure the Special Walnut was the right match). HO took sample board and held it up to logs. We even held it up so she could see from afar. She select the Dark Walnut which looked black to me.
So we get to the task of staining and get halfway thru and start installing some of it. HO looks at it, says it’s great, loves it, just the look she wanted she said. A day later she sings a different tune. She says it’s too black (indeed it is for it looks EXACTLY like the black burned charred wood from a fire). HO wants to know how it can be fixed and admits the error. HO decides on the special walnut as actually matching (the color I selected to begin with). So….having never beenin this situation before, what would you do? Any way to lighten the stain? Will it cut off if I take it back to the mill? Sigh. I should’ve known this might’ve happened. Never met a woman that ever was sure about anything and this one had me fooled.
Replies
Simple, just replace the wood new and start over
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Well sure, I could do that. But it's nice wood as it is and if there is a way to save it that is preferred. Otherwise I'll wind up with a bunch of very nice rough sawn wood and no way of using it ever, just burn it, seems like such a travesty and waste.If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
She wasted it when she made the wrong choice.You will have twice the cost in labor trying to amend what has nbeen done so far and a strong possibility that it is still no what she wants. You have done all the right stuff is sampling it for you to look at.
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Try flooding it with Lacquer thinner to see if you can wash it down a shade. Just brush it on heavy and rub it with old rags from the thrift store. Be sure to get the rags out of the house and burn them in a barrel after so they won't self ignite.
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Thought of tha, but this is rough ccut pine. he will end up with a terrible uneven blotchy mess
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Maybe so, another thing to try is rub it down with one of those sureform block plane cheeze grater things. That might take off the black fuzzies without taking away the rough sawn appearance too much. Plus it wouldn't stink up the house so much and it would make things easier to clean. We just did some of that on a rustic mantle piece and it still looks rough cut but is much smoother to the touch. m------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
i vote with piffin,new boards is what it will take. don't throw what you got stained ,just run them thru a planer and have nice smooth boards for another time. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Did you stain both sides? If not, is there any turning it around and trying the back side?
I suppose you could try to wash it off to give it some highlights, but since it's rough sawn my guess would be that the end result would be a real mess. I would start by taking whatever the vehicle for the stain is (paint thinner for oil stain), soak the surface and have at it with a nylon scrub brush to loosen it then immediately soak up the loosened stain with rags and do a wash down. Test a small piece first to see if this will work at all. Even try a wire brush, that might loosen it better and give it an interesting worn texture.
If this was a Minwax oil stain which is the most common, it might work, because the pigment is not that small & fast. If this is another type like a dye or anything, I would just say replace the wood.
My inclination would be to start over with new wood. From what you said it was the HO responsibility for the whole mess.
When staining anything, I like to make up a sample board of different possibilities, combinations, number of coats etc. I like to put a coat of finish on too (if there is to be one), because that can change the look as well. Then I leave it with the customer to sit with for a few days.
I have had that same experience where they change their minds and you've gone past the point of no return.
I have used acetone and 0000 steel wool to lighten stain on an oak floor. The steel wool probably wouldn't work with the rough texture of the wood, but a stiff brush might.
I have also used a deck cleaning solution for cleaning old barn wood. The client wanted a rustic dining table made from the barn wood. The deck cleaner brightened the wood just enough that we didn't have to sand it to lighten the color. The deck cleaner must have had some mild acid in it because it would fizz and bubble when it was applied.
Chris Calhoun
Blackstone Builders
I don't hold out a lot of hope, but there are some stain removers designed for decks. They might work.
You might be able to lighten or eliminate the color with chlorine bleach. Are you using Minwax? Minwax uses a combination of dye stain and pigmented stain. Chlorine bleach will remove the dye stain though not necessarily the pigmented stain. If that works you will have to neutralize the bleach. Then restain, and at this point it is not necessarily the Special Walnut that will be the best match. Best trying to do a sample board first.
There are two other "wood" bleaches.Have no idea at all what affect that they have the stain.One is oxcalic acid.The other is a two part mix. Hydrogen peroxide is on part, forgot the other..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Toss the old wood and start anew. You might have some luck trying to lighten them, but it's a crapshoot. Pine is really bad for blotching and the rough surface ain't gonna help. You may wind up with some really weird looking boards.
Starting over will probably be less expensive in the long run.
I am sorry to tell you, from personal experience, thea Piffin is right - you need new boards. There is NOTHING you can do to special walnut - it is bombproof.
How about staining the existing wood darker to match the new boards.