gulp - i goofed - now what (woodworking/staining)

[nereo]

uh-oh.
I've been building a bedframe and started staining this morning.  Headboard has a large plywood panel in the center with a nice veneer - sanded entire piece to 220 but only sanded veneer lightly because I was worried about through the veneer.  Plus, to my untrained eye it seemed pretty smooth and clean.

Applied stain and immedately saw the surface was mottled - it looks like there may have been something (glue? sap?) in patches.  Now my stain is completely patchy and it looks horrible.

So - what can I do here?  Is my only option to go with a paint and cover up the wood??  Can I sand down aggressively after applying stain and then start-over?

Ugh...
thanks fo

[Abe]

The patchy areas are probably glue from the plywood manufacturing process. If you want a stain, will have to re-sand and start over. Even with a dark stain there will be obvious differences in shade otherwise. Even with painting would recommend sanding because those areas may not come out well and may flake over time.

[Arktinkerer]

You can sand aggressively to bare wood.
You can sand the areas that are not taking stain and try and blend them in.
You can use a stain/varnish mix that doesn't rely on penetrating the wood.  Might take multiple coats and some spot applications to make the surface more uniform. 

You can also combine the 2nd and 3rd items.

[nereo]

alright, I'm going to try to sand aggressively and see if I can even it out.  Hopefully I can do it without going all the way through the veneer.
Live and learn...
thanks.

[Abe]

Yeah, plywood is difficult in that way unless it's a high-grade made for finished surfaces. Hardwood plywoods like oak are my favorite for that situation, but of course are quite expensive.

[Cadman]

Nereo, did you use a pre-stain first to raise the grain? If not, you'll want to apply that first after sanding everything back down. This helps eliminate mottling/blotches. -C

[nereo]

Nereo, did you use a pre-stain first to raise the grain? If not, you'll want to apply that first after sanding everything back down. This helps eliminate mottling/blotches. -C

I used a mixture of diluted shellac (~ "1 pound' concentration), as seemed to be the recommendation from various online sources.
I'll re-use that mixture before re-staining (unless you have a better solution)

[Cadman]

I think I'd give this a shot...  http://www.lowes.com/pd_506352-24-134074444_0__?productId=50019256&store_code=1712&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Paint-_-InteriorStains-_-50019256:Minwax&CAWELAID=&kpid=50019256&CAWELAID=320011480001409825&k_clickID=e71db42a-0efe-41f1-810d-69c93ad445b1&kpid=50019256 Cut shellac can be a little tricky, especially if the temp/humidity isn't just right. With the pre-stain, you literally saturate the surface with a rag, then wipe off and you're good to go.

[Abe]

Yeah, the pre-stain formulas these days are a lot easier to use than shellac. Go with the Minwax product, it works well.

[nereo]

... well, sometimes mistakes wind up taking us down a different, unexpected path.  Sometimes it just feels good to hit an inanimate object.  In this case I got both ;-)

I sanded aggressively but still wasn't satisfied - the piece just looked 'old'.  So I said what the hell and decided to distress the entire piece.  Hitting it with a chain, gouging corners out of the legs and using an old saw blade to mark up the surface did wonders for my mood, and it did wonders for the piece.  I wouldn't have gone with a faux distresses from the beginning, but I like it.

First coat of Polyurethane will go on tonight after some more sanding.

Thanks all for the input.

[Arktinkerer]

Pics would be nice.  Even if you can't do before/after.

[nereo]

Pics would be nice.  Even if you can't do before/after.

will do! - putting on a final coat of polyurethane tonight, then I should be able to move it into a location where I can photograph more easily.  Like everything else I build it's far from perfect, but I really like how it's turned out.

I always think at the end of a project: "gee, I wish I had taken photos the whole way through to show the process" - but when I'm building I never want to stop and take decent pictures.

[Thegoblinchief]

For future reference I can +1 the effectiveness of the Minwax prestain.

Generally speaking, applying a liquid stain and being religious about wiping off ANY excess will get you an even finish. Gel stains are theoretically easier to apply evenly but I found they ended up with more nasty surprises at the end once wiping away.

[nereo]

a few picts.  The main plywood panel of the main section is where it all went off the rails - note the large mottled vertical streaks from what I assume was factory glue.  This is after extensive sanding that took me almost through the entire veneer.

[Frankies Girl]

That is a beautiful piece! I honestly don't think the vertical marks detract at all and wouldn't have realized they weren't supposed to be there if you hadn't said so. Love the distressed look!

[nereo]

That is a beautiful piece! I honestly don't think the vertical marks detract at all and wouldn't have realized they weren't supposed to be there if you hadn't said so. Love the distressed look!

Thanks :-) 
Yes, the distressing has turned the vertical marks from a flaw into a feature.  They looked really wrong when I was trying for a more 'polished' look, but now they add an interesting pattern. 

[Arktinkerer]

Looks fine to me!

[AllieVaulter]

That looks great!  I love it.  Way to be flexible with your vision.  It really paid off.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

That is a beautiful piece! I honestly don't think the vertical marks detract at all and wouldn't have realized they weren't supposed to be there if you hadn't said so. Love the distressed look!

Thanks :-) 
Yes, the distressing has turned the vertical marks from a flaw into a feature.  They looked really wrong when I was trying for a more 'polished' look, but now they add an interesting pattern.

The knotty wood you selected doesn't really lend itself to a polished look anyway. It makes sense to embrace the "rusticity" of the piece (to coin a word). Nice work!