Door stain patches beyond veneer

[Tas2]

Hi All,

I'm restoring my main entry door to my home. In my attempt to remove all the old stain and get to some fresh timber, I went a little deep in areas.

I've added the stain and some areas are not sucking up the new colour.

I've looked for various solutions. I'm based in Sydney, so product solutions from USA not helpful.

Any easy to apply solutions would be great. Looking to provide the door with a uniform finish.IMG_9817.JPG

[Lappa]

If I get this right, your've sanded through the veneer in some areas and when you try to stain, these sanded areas are not taking the stain?

[Tas2]

Spot on Lappa! How do I fix this?? (Without replacing the door )

I just added an image.
Thank you

[Lappa]

The problem could be glue that was used to adhere the veneer to the timber. If it was bare timber you could wipe the surfaces with shellite and it would show where the glue is. I'd try wiping a test surface with a solvent, maybe acetone, then retest with the stain.

[Tas2]

Thanks Lappa. I'll give it a shot in the morning.
Would sanding not have removed the glue?

[Lappa]

Depends on the glue penetration and the depth of the sanding. The other problem maybe that the timber below is absorbing the stain to some degree but not the same rate as the veneer being different timbers.

[Bohdan]

I think that the only solution that you might be completely happy with is to paint the door with a solid colour as you will never achieve a satisfactory appearance using stain.

[Tas2]

I think that the only solution that you might be completely happy with is to paint the door with a solid colour as you will never achieve a satisfactory appearance using stain.

Thanks Bohdan
Yes, I mentioned this to the Mrs (ie: painting it Japanese black) and her jaw dropped slightly...and I believe I heard a silent scream. No chance.

[Tas2]

I've read of some gel stains?? Think they are like a paint that gives an overall timber grain appearance. I read about them on a US site, but don't think there is a reseller here.
Without going off course, has anyone had any experience with this?
Cheers

[Bohdan]

Tell her that the alternative is a new door so you may as well try the black as an experiment and she can tell you if you need to go and spend the extra money.

[rob streeper]

Gel stains are great. Not all are created equal however. The Sherwin Williams interior stains are disastrous. The Minwax products are the terrible with poor coverage, long re-coat and drying times and they stay sticky for a long time ensuring that every nearby piece of dust gets a chance, General Finishes aren't much better. Old Masters are the best I've used. Wipe on a medium coat, wait 30-45 minutes and wipe off. Re-coat in 6 hours.

[Tas2]

Old Masters are the best I've used. Wipe on a medium coat, wait 30-45 minutes and wipe off. Re-coat in 6 hours.

The old stain masters may be the way to go. Can I just paint it over the existing stained door ? I've still got the other side of the door to complete + the second door which has not yet been sanded.

Who sells the old masters in Sydney?
Cheers

[rob streeper]

Yes, the gel stains are very unconventional. They will cover most anything and with patience you can match colors nicely. Multiple layers of gel stains, even different colors of stains, can be overlayed to produce excellent results. This is maple done with gel stain.

maple handle half back.jpg

[Tas2]

Well I took a trip to my local hardware here in Sydney. I tried Lappas tip using the acetone however no success. It's almost like the surface below the veneer is plastic and not absorbing the stain.

I took another method. I added a timber mate which allowed me to build it up the area. I added a little bit of water and mixed it in really well until it was a nice thin paste. This was inserted onto the timber surface using a mini scraper. Once the area dried, I added another small later on top and waited around 20 minutes until it was dry.
Once dry I sanded it back and left it really thin. The stain took and I added a little more dimension to the colour by using a very unorthodox lead pencil. This provided a darker colour.
I'll add some photo's in the coming days as I get the clear coat onto it.

I was very busy sanding the other side of the door today taking special care not to go too deep.

Thanks to those who replied.

[soundman]

There is a less drastic solution ...... clean the door back as best you can ..... ally a coat of polly U sanding sealer and sand till smooth ... THEN go with a tinted polly Y ...... so we are puttingb the colour in the polly U rather than trying to stain the actual timber.

What you can do is by mixing different coulours of tinted polly U and clear ..... come up with a shade and a couluor that you like ..... but somewhat lighter that the desired end ...... then you can lay up light coats till you have the desired depth of shade ...... maybe chuck a final coat of clear over ..... and ya good to go.

I'm not great lover of polly U, .... but it's the business on exteriour doors and the tint in the finish will improve UV stability.

cheers