How to stain an internal Maple barn door?

[AmandaAquilina]

Hi I have just purchased a brand new barn door in Raw form . I've been told its made of maple. We want to know some advice on what colour stain will be best for this door. It will be internal with no sun facing this door. We are trying to achieve some greys and darker colours with the stain. Any ideas of colours would be great. If i can also understand the process as I've been told we don't need to put a conditioner on prior to staining but want to make sure it doesn't come out blotchy etc

Any help would be great

[EricL]

Hello @AmandaAquilina 

Thanks for sharing your question about painting your barn door. I've been speaking to the technical team of Cabots's paint, and they suggest having a look at the Cabots Stain and Varnish to be tinted in "Marita Grey". 

However, I suggest testing it on a pine timber offcut first to make sure that you like the colour. If it turns out to be satisfactory you can then commit the entire door. You can also test for multiple coats to see if the colour goes darker.  

Since your door is unpainted; I suggest sanding the surface lightly with a 240grit sandpaper and vacuuming the surface free of sanding dust. Please make sure to use the soft brush attachment to prevent lining the door. 

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to restore wooden furniture (the techniques used are applicable to your project)

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric