Reply by DaleM

I’m guessing a lot of people will tell you not to stain walnut and I mostly agree, but if you want to darken it, you can stain it with Minwax Dark Walnut and it will darken it a little and help to match pieces somewhat. It helps to even things when making cabinets that are mostly walnut ply with solid walnut face frames and doors which don’t match well. Lacquer works well as a topcoat, but so do other things, depending on whether you have a sprayer or are brushing or wiping on.

-- Dale Manning, Carthage, NY