# Help! New Cypress kitchen cabinets- lap marks/ uneven finish



## genakaye (Aug 14, 2017)

Hi, new here! A year ago yesterday my house flooded! I finally just had my cabinets installed and hired someone to stain them. I know Cypress is a softwood but I am unhappy with the results so far and I am afraid to let him finish! 
The stain appears darker in some areas, not from the wood, but from where he starts and stops in places. I am really disappointed in how they look so far! He has only applied one coat, and I really only wanted one coat because I do not want them too dark but really couldn't find the color I wanted so I went with Early American( which is still darker than I wanted). What can I do to even out the darker spots? or is there something I can use over the stain to even it out, and possibly even slightly lighten it before I let him finish? I love the Cypress and simply just wanted to tone-down or neutralize the yellow/orangey tones and add just a light brown tint.
After waiting for a year to get cabinets, I'm feeling very overwhelmed at the idea of being stuck with something I can't live with!


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Where it overlaps? Or did he stop in the middle of a door?


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## genakaye (Aug 14, 2017)




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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

I think you've got a few things going on. Some wood just is difficult to stain evenly and it gets blotchy. Also, sometimes when areas are sanded more than others, they take up stain at a different rate. You can try a prestain conditioner to help it stain more evenly. It will take up less stain and not get as dark though.


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

That looks like splotching caused by soft and hard grain. You will probably need to sand the stain off and use a splotch sealer. The stain is soaking into the soft grain more than the hard grain. Very similar to staining pine or other soft woods.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Cypress is a soft wood and also can be resinous, both of which make staining a crapshoot.

I don't think sanding is the answer. The stain has penetrated so deeply into the soft grain you would have to replane the wood to get rid of it. I think the answer is going to lie in sealing and using a dye.

I don't think it looks horrible so long as its a uniform effect.


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## gargey (Apr 11, 2016)

iF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T LET IT KEEP MOVING FORWARD, HOPING IT WILL BE FINE. bE CLEAR THAT IT'S TOO DARK AND SPLOTCHY, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED.

i LEFT MY CAPS LOCK KEY ON BY ACCIDENT, SO ITS ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. wHOOPS.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

> Cypress is a soft wood and also can be resinous, both of which make staining a crapshoot.
> 
> I don t think sanding is the answer. The stain has penetrated so deeply into the soft grain you would have to replane the wood to get rid of it. I think the answer is going to lie in sealing and using a dye.
> 
> ...


+1

Depending on what product is to be used, your finisher can tint the clear topcoat which might help even out the color somewhat.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I'm also on the train that says it's the way stain works with softwood (blotching). It looks like so far only the face frames have been stained, that might not be as noticeable once the drawers/doors are installed. Tungoil mentioned a tinted clear top coat…that's known as a toner and is a common way to help even out color. But you may be stuck with you have, I think to avoid having the same thing happen on your doors/drawers you need to test a different approach. Usually this is where "an inconspicious spot" is mentioned…..I'll go with try it on the door backs, or the drawer backs if possible. You're finisher may have a method he uses to prevent the blotching (or not), but a common approach is to first finish the wood with a "washcoat" (simply a very thin coat of finish) and stain over that. It prevents the stain from being absorbed by the wood in varying degrees. Shellac is commonly used as a washcoat.


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