I have cleaned up an old maple dresser which has had one drawer face replaced. I am having difficulty getting the stain to take,althought I have used paint stripper and sanded it thoroughly.
Also, does anyone have any tips for matching the old and newer wood with stain?

If the dresser is very old, the original wood may not have been kiln dried, and the stain will soak into the wood differently than on the front which is likely made from kiln dried wood. Some of the old stains were made by the cabinet maker himself and contained a lot of pigment. Some of these old stains were almost like a thin paint rather than the stains that we buy commercially today. You can still buy the powdered stains, but you might find them pretty difficult to work with. You could also try using a solvent to open up the grain, but I'm not sure what solvent would be best. Check with a paint store or look in the library. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

: I have cleaned up an old maple dresser which has had one drawer face replaced. I am having difficulty getting the stain to take,althought I have used paint stripper and sanded it thoroughly.
: Also, does anyone have any tips for matching the old and newer wood with stain?

Hi,
Maple is usually one of the better woods to accept stain, if the stain is a dye stain rather than a pigmented stain.

There are two types of stain to work with-

One is actually formulated like a thin paint, the most common types found today are made this way.

The other is actually a dye. Like food coloring.

Maple is fine grain, so inexpensive pigmented stains are not going to have much effect- there is little pore space for the stain to adhere.

Some of the more expensive oil stains are dye stains, but not all of them. If you have to stir it, it is a pigmented type.

You may want to rub down the surface just prior to application of a stain or dye, with alcohol. If there is residue of shellac, or lacquer remaining in the pores of the wood, this will make those remaining residues a bit more accepting of the colorant.

Behlen makes a number of dyes- aniline dye is most common, and it is alcohol based.

For coloring areas to match, set up in a shaded area that is still bright with sunlight- this gives you an accurate perspective of the color.

Apply the dye, or stain, in layers. In other words, mix the dye to a density a bit less than the final coloring. This will allow to correct for any shading differences, such as not enough red, too red, too green, etc.

Once you have the new area looking "passably" close to your tastes, you can either dye the whole unit, or just proceed to the finish steps.

: I have cleaned up an old maple dresser which has had one drawer face replaced. I am having difficulty getting the stain to take,althought I have used paint stripper and sanded it thoroughly.
: Also, does anyone have any tips for matching the old and newer wood with stain?