Maple floors and millwork are less common now, because maple doesn't take traditional wood stains very well. But they were super common back in the day. You will find maple millwork and floors, in older homes, especially in the east and mid-west.
Fortunately, staining maple is no longer a problem if you use reactive stains. I mean, just look at this millwork! This is a great project for old and new wood. Not to mention, reactive stains are super easy to use.
MATERIALS
- Hard Maple - raw wood
- Sand 80, 120, 320
- Weatherwood Stains' Reclamation Stain
- Weatherwood Stains' Varnish Topcoat
Directions
1. PREP WOOD
This wood was previously stained a honey gold color.
If your wood has an existing finish you will want to strip off the existing finish. Citristip is commonly used for this. Then sand wood to 120 grit to prepare it.
If your wood is new, you can sand wood to 120 grit or spray it with denatured alcohol. This acts like a toner for your skin, opening up the wood grain and it's easier than sanding!
2. REMOVE DUST
Remove all the dust. Using a dustless sander can help
with this. Now they are ready for stain.
3. STAIN
After sanding- you can apply a heavy coat of Weatherwood Stains' Reclamation wood stain. Do not wipe off- allow wood to absorb stain. This time-lapse video condensed 30 minutes into a few seconds. You're gonna love watching it! It looks so cool-- the gray just sort of appears out of nowhere. You can see that I applied a heavy coat of stain and then the wood does the rest. Dry time 60 minutes.
We used allowed with Weatherwood Stains' VARNISH Topcoat to lock in the wood color. Apply 2-3 coats, 1 hour apart.
If you have any questions, please let me know! I would love to help you get the perfect look for your project.
One more thing, if you're looking to achieve this color on your FLOORS, you will like this post: Driftwood Gray on Maple Floors
