# Staining Quartersawn Sycamore



## lobro4 (Aug 8, 2009)

My next project is a rocker to be made from quartersawn sycamore. Just wondering how to prepare myself for the staining. Is this a blotch-prone wood? Can you pop the grain on this like you do with tiger maple? Any finishing secrets to share from those who have worked this wood before?
Thanks


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

all you need to do is try some different things with some scraps… I would think most anything can be "popped". try using a penetrating oil and i would suggest not using stain. I think projects like this should be left natural ;-)


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

it will blotch,the white sap wood, will go nuts… as long as its all brown heart wood not too bad.. and yes it will pop.. use a good oil….


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## Ingjr (Feb 21, 2010)

IMO, some of the best looking quarter sawn wood there is. If it was mine, a natural look. Looks pretty good with a garnet shellac also.


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## 4thumbs (Oct 14, 2009)

Have tried several stains & dye on quartersawn sycamore scraps and settled on Watco natural. Pops the figure and adds a warm glow to the piece. That is a beautiful wood in its native state, and the oil brings out its glory.


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## toolman77 (Mar 10, 2009)

Hi lobro,

I built a dresser from qs sycamore a few months ago. I would stay away from any type of stain. I would recommend Transtint dye. The lighter the color of the dye the more the figure in the wood will show. I ended up using a color a little darker than I would have liked so that the dresser would match the other furniture in my son's room.

If you really want to make the figure "pop" use Transtint honey amber dye and finish with 4 coats of high gloss poly.

The wood will look amazing.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Sounds like it's all handled


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## JSW (Oct 22, 2008)

Quartered sycamore can be an awesome wood but can go from outstanding to ugly with the improper use of stains or dyes. Natural with a clear coat is not difficult. But coloring is perhaps best left to toners or glazes in between coats of finish. This can have its own disadvantages also like muting the figure or making repairs difficult. Hope this helps.
Jon


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

I have used blo first followed by garnet shellac to get to the desired color when using qs sycamore.The grain really pops when using oil.


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