A while back I asked for suggestions on staining hard maple, and didn't get much response. Since then I have researched and done lots of testing, and here are the results.
The penetrating stains such as Minwax did come out blotchy. The best results I could get with these stains was when I sanded the samples to 220, raised the grain, and then hand sanded at 220. Raising the grain was absolutely critical for better results. I also had to apply two coats of stain with 5 minutes soak time for each application.
The gel stains performed very well, but I couldn't find the color that the customer wanted in a gel stain.
I tried two of the Transtint dyes in a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol. I thought the dyes looked too "fake" for my particular situation. The colors were also much darker than the customer wanted. I could definitely see where these dyes could be useful in certain situations.
Finally I decided on Zar stains. They are much thicker than Minwax (more like furniture polish). With the Zar stains I power sanded to 180 and hand sanded to 220. I did not have to raise the grain and one coat worked perfectly. My only mistake was that I should have sanded the top and bottom of the raised panel one grit more to minimize the contrast between this end grain and the long grain of the other two sides. Other than that I am very happy with the results. I just finished staining tonight, but I will post pictures after I have finished putting poly on it.
My project is to make a hard maple face frame and doors to finish a couple of utility room cabinets that someone else started. I had the Hardwood Store of NC make the doors because they are cathedral style. They did a great job!
The penetrating stains such as Minwax did come out blotchy. The best results I could get with these stains was when I sanded the samples to 220, raised the grain, and then hand sanded at 220. Raising the grain was absolutely critical for better results. I also had to apply two coats of stain with 5 minutes soak time for each application.
The gel stains performed very well, but I couldn't find the color that the customer wanted in a gel stain.
I tried two of the Transtint dyes in a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol. I thought the dyes looked too "fake" for my particular situation. The colors were also much darker than the customer wanted. I could definitely see where these dyes could be useful in certain situations.
Finally I decided on Zar stains. They are much thicker than Minwax (more like furniture polish). With the Zar stains I power sanded to 180 and hand sanded to 220. I did not have to raise the grain and one coat worked perfectly. My only mistake was that I should have sanded the top and bottom of the raised panel one grit more to minimize the contrast between this end grain and the long grain of the other two sides. Other than that I am very happy with the results. I just finished staining tonight, but I will post pictures after I have finished putting poly on it.
My project is to make a hard maple face frame and doors to finish a couple of utility room cabinets that someone else started. I had the Hardwood Store of NC make the doors because they are cathedral style. They did a great job!
:lol: 
