![]() ![]() We mentioned previously that there are types of wood stain that simply won’t work on maple wood, but there are a few types of wood treatments that will allow you to achieve a darker tone with far less effort. Using this type of stain typically results in a really blotchy look, with some spots barely receiving any stain and others being so saturated with stain that they appear black even when observed up close. If you think that you can brute force your way through, the results might be less than satisfactory, especially if you’re using a pigment stain. Staining maple isn’t impossible though, and with some effort, patience, and termination, there are ways around these woods’ natural defenses that will allow you to achieve a darker aesthetic. Ultimately, the same thing that makes this wood something special to work with and allows us to craft beautiful furnishings from it is the one that makes it rather challenging to stain. In the wild, this allows trees to be less vulnerable to things like mold, insect infestation, and even harmful chemicals that would otherwise damage their roots and heartwood. If you’re wondering why this is, it’s because a tighter wood grain means that the actual wood fibers are so tightly pressed together that coatings and treatments have a hard time seeping in and absorbing into the fibers of the wood. Now, this might be stunning to behold, but it also makes the wood less receptive to coatings and wood treatments than softer woods. This is what gives maple the beautiful thin lines that allow the eye to follow the form of workpieces crafted by it. Maple is what’s known as a medium hardwood, and what makes hardwood, well, hard, is the fact that their grains are tightly packed together. Why is maple this difficult to stain though? Well, it’s not exactly a revelation, in fact, most hardwoods are difficult to stain, and this has a lot to do with the grain of these woods. If you have ever tried to stain maple you might have noticed that it isn’t particularly cooperative in this aspect. There’s nothing quite like a good wood stain finish off a beautifully crafted workpiece, especially one made of maple. What Makes Maple Wood So Difficult to Stain? ![]() Taking all of this into account, it comes as no surprise that many people prefer putting in the extra effort of staining maple instead of opting for a more cooperative wood or composite material. Strangely, the sapwood of maple trees can fetch a lot more money in certain markets compared to its heartwood due to its unique color, strength, and malleability.Īlthough there are crafters and professional woodworkers that swear by using this wood type it can be a bit of a challenge to work with compared to softer woods, the trade-off is that workpieces created with this type of wood are beautiful, robust, and if treated correctly can last for a lifetime. Heartwood refers to wood deep inside the tree’s core which tends to be a reddish-brown in appearance, whereas sapwood refers to the wood closer to the bark of the tree which tends to be an off-white color in most cases. The heartwood and sapwood of maple trees are also quite unique compared to other trees in its class. It’s not just the look and feel of maple wood that makes it great, it’s also one of the strongest, heaviest, and tightly grained woods out there with a really fine grain texture. We’re able to get lots of great quality wood out of maple trees as they grow up to 88 feet on average, which makes it one of the popular wood types all over the country. Maple trees are found in both the US and Canada and have been pretty well managed, so they don’t pop up on any endangered species list, which is good for you considering that you’re looking to stain some maple wood. Maple wood belongs to a family of trees called Aceraceae which consists of around ten species, of these ten types of trees about five of them are used for conventional applications of lumber like furnishings and construction. What Is Maple Wood and Why Is It Difficult to Stain?īefore we get into how you should go about staining maple wood it’s probably a good idea to fill you in on what exactly maple wood is, where it is found, some of its key characteristics, and what makes it so challenging to stain compared to other woods. 5.2 Is Staining Maple Plywood Possible?.5.1 Is Staining Maple Floors Difficult?.3.3 Best Water Stain for Maple: VARATHANE Aged Wood Accelerator.3.2 Best Gel Stain for Maple: MINWAX Gel Stain, Antique Maple.3.1 Best Oil Stain for Maple: GENERAL FINISHES Oil Based Penetrating Wood Stain.3 What Is the Best Stain for Maple Wood?.2 What Types of Stain Work on Maple Wood?.1.2 What Makes Maple Wood So Difficult to Stain?.1 What Is Maple Wood and Why Is It Difficult to Stain?. ![]()
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