Refinishing Pine

[fishin]

I am refinsihing my old knotty pine kitchen cabinets. I am trying for a medium brown and it is coming out with a redish tint. Is there any way to correct this? Thanks.

[JB]

What stain and finish are you using?

[soundman]

You will probably need to brew a mix of two or more stains to get something decent.
Wallnut will give you a darker component but its a bit dull on its own.
a mix of jarrah, wallnut & golden oak works well.
Mix a small quantity MEASURING with a medicine glass till you get what you want. You will need to paint out samples to see where you are going. remember top coat will vary the shade. So when you are close put soome top coat on your sample.

You MUST MUST make notes or you will have to doo it all again next time.

cheers

[ubeaut]

A bit of green in the stain will kill the red, if stain is already on a light wash of green over the stain should fix it. Don't be too heavy handed with the green.

Cheers - Neil

[fishin]

I'm using Minwax Special Walnut. I have also tried a shade up and a shade down. It has something to do with the wood. I can stain new pine and have no problem. Thanks.

[JB]

I don't know Minwax stains but I can tell you that most spirit and pre-mixed stains have a fair bit of red in them. To make old pine brown I use either diluted, turps-based black bitumen stain (which can look a bit 'dirty' but is definitely brown) or walnut water crystals. These and other quality finishing products may be available from U-Beaut Enteprises—suppliers of superior finishing products and the product of choice for all discerning woodworkers.

[ubeaut]

The turps-based black bitumen stain referred to by JB is known commercially as Black Japan made by Feast Watson and available at most good hardware shops. Walnut Crystals are harder to get but might be available at Graeme Brown Antiques in Toorak Vic, through Libron and maybe Goods'n Chattels in Brizzy.

And NO U-Beaut doesn't have any of that stuff, but JB might pull the tongue out of his cheek long enough to tell you where he gets his from.

Cheers - Neil

PS still worth giving the green a try - use universal tint, available from paint and hardware shops, they will usually give you a little from their paint carousel. You will only need a minute amount.

[Glenmore]

Fishin I do all my pine with minwax polyerethane walnut stain makes a real nice brown finish. It all depends also on how old the pine is it will sometimes come out a red tint in the wood itself. Or even use a minwax golden oak on it both come out real well for me. Hope this helps you out.