What to do with stripped poplar mantels?
I went to great trouble to have my mantels stripped only to find that they are poplar! What should I do? Repaint, stain?
I went to great trouble to have my mantels stripped only to find that they are poplar! What should I do? Repaint, stain?
I do believe even poplar was stained and shellacked or varnished as the fancier hard wood would be.
We have poplar doors and pine or fir trim, and it was all semi-transparently faux grained with a stain, then varnished/shellacked. Most is made to look like mahogany, but at least one room was faux oak. I like it.
I might just leave a mantle natural, though. How would it look with wax or oil?
consider “graining” which is faux panting to look like wood. if you find a pro it is really hard to tell it’s not real.
How greenish is the poplar and if it is very green looking, how dark are you willing to go? Also, the types of stain you use will make a big difference in how this will turn out. You may wish to use a lacquer sanding sealer on it – or even a lacquer based stain – followed by an oil based stain (an I am not suggesting Minwax; Mohawk is a better product). Precoating it with a lacquer based product will reduce splotching but may not give a rich enough color; the oil base product will give you the color. A little toning in the clear/top coat should finish it off nice.
Stay away from alcohol based dye stains on the poplar.
If you really want to investigate what is best to use, skip the neighborhood paint stores (they will sell you anything without ever telling you that there are a host of other products out there). Go to Abbot paint on Eagle Street in Greenpoint and speak to the manager, Charlie Hoey. He has the product and the knowledge.
Steve
http://www.thetinkerswagon.com
Cherry stain looks fairly convincing on poplar, IMO.