Fir doesn't have interesting grain,is that the problem?

No, it's just blotchy and uneven.

"blotchy and uneven"

Conditioner is supposed to help but you must follow directions printed on can. Many make the mistake of allowing conditioner to dry longer than recommended.

Uneven attraction between wood and stain ... some of the wood is more porous (thirstier) than other parts.

One method is to use an oil-based stain and swab the wood with mineral spirits immediately (only a few seconds) before you wipe on a thin layer of stain. The thirsty wood soaks up the mineral spirits and not the stain.

Also, applying a thin layer of stain - the wipe on method - is easier to control than applying an excess of stain and trying to evenly remove what you don't want - the wipe off method.

I never realy gave it much thought Lazy G but now tah you put it that way,wipe on is indeed a good method to keep in one's arsenal.

what color are you after? Fir has a lot of stain-absorbancy problems, the hard rings are impervious to stain penetration. If I knew the color, perhaps I could give specifics.

Casey

Sombreuil, we're looking at Old Masters Special Walnut.

Douglas-fir does indeed blotch a lot.

To avoid blotching, prior to staining I prefer to use dewaxed shellac instead of products labeled "conditioner". I wipe on a thin coat of Zinsser Sealcoat (dewaxed shellac) with a rag, wait a few minutes, run an ultrafine sanding sponge over it, and then apply the stain.

For stain, I agree with HandyMac about using dyes. I use TransTint dyes diluted in water - this does raise the grain a bit (the wood soaks up the water and expands) so you do need to do a light sanding after staining. I've also used gel stains (Old Masters and General Finishes) on Doug-fir with good results. In both cases I start with the dewaxed shellac.

Hi, I would use gel stains for this. I'd start with a "new pine" color, very light but pigmented. Then layer on the color of your choice until it was dark enough. The first stain will seal the grain so every subsequent coat colors the entire piece the same without the softer wood taking in the majority of the color. Instead of the new pine color, you could use clear "sealcoat" (de-waxed) shellac. That would likely give a clearer grain effect even under a few coats of gel stain, but not do as good a job stopping the natural orange tone of fir.

BTW, oil gel stain, not acrylic latex.

If your drying conditions are less than ideal, you can intersperse more coats of shellac; rub out with synthetic steel wool before the next layer of color.

Topcoat could be whatever you wish, but the clear satin gel varnish looks great if you can keep up with it. It dries very fast in warm weather.

Casey

You should try water-popping the wood before you apply the penetrating stain. Water-popping will help tremendously with getting the stain to evenly absorb.

Water-Popping, why we add this step.

Thanks, everyone for your comments. The project is now finished and we're happy with it. He did use Old Masters with some kind of a quick, wipe on method with a rag. I'm not sure what he did beyond that and he's not here to ask, but the gel brand and the wipe on method both helped. Oh. I know he used some special finish, as well. Benwood Stays Clear, which I guess is a Benjamin Moore product.

@ksmetamaid do you have a photo of this?

@ksmetamaid do you have a picture?