Poplar does not take stain at all well. I'd suggest sanding sealer, followed by a very light stain. Then a tinted top coat. Go light on each step with color. You cannot get the color lighter once you start down the road.

Appreciate the suggestion. I am very frustrated with my builder. Doesn’t look like I’ll get the look I was going for.

Tell your builder he owes you the ceiling you requested.

Omfg, you know how difficult it is to apply stains to the ceiling from under it... i would have stained it first before nailing.

1. Avoid poplar if you can. Too much work to make it look good. If you like working for $5/hour than choose poplar.

2. If you have to use poplar ... some ppl claim wood conditioner ... i never had good results. There could be one, i just never found it.

3. If you have to use poplar .. i use metal stains like gel, coat of shellac +coat polyurethane ...

4. To get the look like you have on your picture you would need different mixtures.

I would give it back to a builder, let him mess with poplar.

I agree with PPF. Poplar is a wood that's generally painted. You will never, ever come close to the look you want with poplar. You're builder should have known that. You'll spend more time and money trying to mimic the look you want and still never be satisfied.

Popular has no grain generally to give it character. It won't get any of that without some kind of graining effect tool. You wouldn't be happy.

Its important to use wood conditioner before staining a porous wood like Mimwax Pre-Stain. I was able to get poplar to look good with Minwax PolyShades although it took a few coats and it was a dark. Its essentially polyurethane with pigment.

But if the paneling isn't up yet try T&G vertical grain fir.

Thank you for the input. I will post a finished picture when it’s done. I’m stuck with the poplar so we will use these suggestions to try to make something work.

(I actually like it as is, although it's certainly not the look you were after.)

That is a very large ceiling. I truly hope that you can achieve a look that you love even if it doesn't match your vision.

I recommend staying clear of any polyurethane + stain product. They are horrible to work with and won't give you a good result. I'd also suggest you look at finishes by General Finish and explore the possibility of using a dye versus a stain.

One place to start your research is this article from Poplar Woodworking:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/american-woodworker-blog/make-poplar-look-pretty/

The forums at Sawmill Creek are also a good source. Here's a starting point:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?181282-Recommendations-regarding-stain-for-Poplar

Woodweb and Lumberjocks also have good forums.

Marc Spagnuolo's The Wood Whisperer site is also a great resource. That's where I learned to make my own wipe on polyurethane and get finishes that look like they were sprayed. There are a couple of tidbits of information I found with a quick search in a poll Marc conducted on poplar:

https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/poll/your-thoughts-on-poplar/

Another possible option is to use an exterior opaque stain meant for siding and decks. Although it will be a solid uniform color, you may find a color you like. The advantage of the opaque stain is you won't have the buildup that happens with paint.

Good luck! I feel your pain.

I’m so sorry that happened. Poplar is a paint grade wood, not stain grade. Honestly? If the builder won’t remove it and install the cedar, I’d paint it white. It certainly wouldn’t look like your inspiration, but it would have interesting texture and wouldn’t be an odd color. Your builder should have known poplar won’t stain!

Another thing came to mind . . . I have never seen commercially available tongue and groove poplar . . . doesn't mean it doesn't exist, I've just never seen it. Is your ceiling tongue and groove or just butted planks?

I like the poplar you got better than the look you were going for lol. I like the neutral color. maybe oil it to darken it a little and bring out some sheen?

If a pale, warm color of PolyShades won't work, anything that penetrates the wood will darken it and a dark gray ceiling would be deadly dull on such a low ceiling so you would be left with painting or replacing it.

How will the room be used and what do the windows look like? I suspect it might not be an appropriate room for a cedar ceiling. A cedar ceiling needs to be tall with big windows like in the original photo.

I would paint it and move on.

Wow what an idiot to put that up without staining is bad enough but now it will require huge amounts of work overhead to get the effect you want.I also agree this was probably not a good choice for ceiling in a space with a low ceiling.

The info you are getting about poplar and stain vs paint is just the tip of the iceberg.

Look at your inspiration ceiling. Several things to take note of: 1) there is subtle variation from board to board with a few darker boards but little to no color variation within each board, 2) the boards are the full length of the ceiling and there are no but joints where color and graining stops and starts abruptly, 3) it appears that is a slightly angled/vaulted ceiling, not flat, with high transoms almost to the ceiling line so it will move light through the room very differently than a flat ceiling like yours.

Now look at the picture of your ceiling and take note 1) poplar by nature has color variation from almost white to brown to green to purple which actually can be beautiful in the right application with a simple clear coat but it will never look like your inspiration 2) your boards are not the full ceiling length and the color/grain has abrupt stops and starts where boards meet 3) your flat ceiling with what appears to be quite a bit less light than your inspiration will never move light through the space in the same way and will feel quite a bit darker.

If you are really stuck with this then I would paint and choose the ceiling color after your wall color. White is fine in some instances but you might prefer a much lighter version of whatever you choose for your walls - it gives the same bright and open feeling as white but the transition from your walls is a bit softer, less stark.

Also, that inspiration ceiling is much taller with walls of windows for light. A room with a lower wood ceiling might feel like being trapped in a wood box. White paint may be the best solution.

I may have missed it, but what is the flooring in the space?

The flooring is clear maple, very light. The ceilings are 10 foot. This is a kitchen with white cabinets

Does the two prominent surfaces in the same space of different woods concern you?

I figured If there was a stark contrast it wouldn’t be an issue, but if I end up having to clear coat and leave it natural it probably won’t work. Looking for input. This is my first build and I sort of panicked when I realized this wasn’t working. Happy to go in a different direction, just want to be sure it will look good.

This is when having a good interior designer is beneficial. (I do not like making color selections)

The ceiling in the photo doesn't look like its 10ft from the floor. Are the doors 8-6?

Just remove it. Hopefully there's a use for the poplar elsewhere but the contractor owes you for the mistake.

Poplar clear coated will look better with a maple floor than the red cedar would have. They have similar blondish tones. But, it is very busy looking, and will demand the majority of attention in the room. Everything else needs to be calmer, to support that look.

You need a design professional with the big picture vision to assist you with a path to move forward. The good news is that paint is always a fall back position if the clearcoat doesn’t really work for the design.

Some more thoughts on making lemonade from lemons . . . check out the Barn Room (ceiling), Barn Room Loft (walls and ceilings) and Kitchen (ceilings) at the blog: fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com

This blog meticulously details the renovation and restoration of an old New England farmhouse in New Hampshire. I know it's not your style but the ceilings are worth checking out. The kitchen ceiling is painted but the Barn Room and Barn Room Lofts are white washed. They also stained the walls for the Barn Room Loft. The author of the blog, Joan Ross provides of the staining, white washing process which I copied and pasted below.

I know overall the decorating style isn't what you're after but at the very least it's a starting point for experimenting with color options and techniques.

Barn Room Ceiling:
Pine boards were stained using Minwax Water based Wood Stain in White Wash Pickling stain.
Use a staining pad to apply two coats (both full strength). These coats were not wiped off.

Barn Board Stain:
Stains are: Sherwin Williams Woodscapes in Semi-transparent (an exterior stain with low voc's that can be used inside.)
This is a two-step process.
The first coat is Charwood #3542 applied full strength with a staining pad (much easier than using a brush) and the product is not wiped off (as many stains are.)
The second coat applied after the first has fully dried is Blue Shadow #3531 in a 75/25 mixture.
75% is water and 25% is the stain. This coat is also applied with a staining pad and is not wiped off.
That's it! It's that easy.

Here's the Barn Room ceiling:

Here's a the Barn Room Loft Ceiling and Walls

Here's the kitchen ceiling painted

Thank you for the ideas! Making lemonade out of lemons is a great way to look at it. Not liking the way your wood ceiling looks is a great problem to have! I think the stain options seem too cumbersome and cost prohibitive and won’t really get me the look I’m after so I’m probably going to end up painting it.

Painting at this point would be my first choice too. I found a better picture of the painted ceiling in the kitchen I posted above. It will look great.

so sorry this happened to you! I agree with previous posters that say you may as well just paint it white. also, try to get some money back from the builder for not giving you the look you wanted.

or change course: I think the natural color of your ceiling is really pretty as-is. what if you changed the plan for your hardwood floor color to something that coordinates with it -- like a similar color but a couple shades darker?

I'm currently going through my own personal frustrations with a builder that didn't give good advice, resulting in expensive mistakes. it's so discouraging, esp when I felt like I could trust them (they came highly recommended from other pros and got great reviews).

Unfortunately the floors are already in, just covered in the photo. I feel your pain! Thankful for people like you to weigh in with your ideas and expertise.

If it's any consolation, you're still going to have a statement ceiling - not just plain old drywall. Be sure to post pictures of what you decide.

Oh one more thing, and this is my personal pet peeve. Don't paint the ceiling with a roller. A roller will leave will stipple marks, also known as orange peel. And no, a foam roller is no better. In my opinion, rolled finishes are for drywall and plaster only - never for woodwork and case goods - although I see it all the time, even in high end homes. Some people don't notice or care as long as it's all one color. I'm not one of them.

Millwork and case goods should be sprayed or brushed. These are doors in my own home done with brush and Benjamin Moore's Advance. They are 83 years old.

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