Latex Stain

[JOAT]

The only thing I use oil-base paint on any more is my tools, or metal. Anything else I use laytex. Low odor and water cleanup is great.

First hit on this a few years ago, when I thinned latex down to get a tarnished copper effect, came out great.

I'm making some shilouette chess pieces, cut from 1/2" plywood, and mounted on octagon, or round, bases. Was going to paint them, but didn't like the idea of a painted chess piece. Then tried thinned latex. I haven't experimented enough yet to get just the percentage of water to latex, but did wind up with a nice black, and red, that show the grain of the wood, with no painted look. I thinkk i'm going to have use more water to finally get what I'm after. I did experiment enough to think I can pretty much get any color stain/wash I want; including some custom color ones, if wanted. Haven't tried it on poplar yet, but I'm thinking it would work pretty well. I think it's worth sacrificing a few scrap pieces trying it.

 

[ScottM]

Theo, the process you describe sounds like pickling wood. See below. I have played with it a little. Not sure how it would work on poplar due to the grain.

"Pickling (sometimes called "liming") is a finishing technique that lightens dark wood or older wood that has darkened naturally over time. Essentially a pickled finish is a white stain applied to the surface and then wiped off allowing the underlying wood grain to show through, but the white highlights brighten the overall appearance of the wood. Pickled wood has been around for years, but these days it's enjoying resurgence in popularity among designers so you might want to know how to "pickle" wood.
Here's all you'll need

• 1 quart of white primer paint
• 1 cup of thinner (or water)
• Mixing can
• Paint brush
• Clean cloths (old T-shirts or torn up cotton sheets)
• Sandpaper (140 grit) or steel wool
• Tack cloth

Pickling stain
You can buy pickling stains at your paint or home store or you can make your own. If you're going to make your own, start with a primer paint (either latex or alkyd) and dilute it about 25%, i.e. add one cup of water or paint thinner (depending on whether you're using latex or alkyd) to a quart of paint and mix it well. Use a primer rather than regular paint because primers have dull flat finishes that won’t add any shine to your pickled finished wood surface.
Choosing between latex and alkyd is a personal choice. Latex has minimal odor plus it's easy to work with and clean up, but the water in latex paint will tend to raise the grain in wood so final finishing will be more work since the surface will need to be sanded smooth again before applying varnish or polyurethane.
Alkyd has a stronger odor than latex and some people find it disagreeable, plus it is more difficult to clean up, requiring turpentine or solvent."

 

[skysharks]

There you go Theo. Sounds like it would work good.
I too hate using oil based paint, and have gone the way of latex.
Infact I just recently completed a piece, that I sprayed on a statin latex paint,with a cheap HF HVLP gravity fed gun.
I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[JOAT]

Yep, similar to pickling, but I wouldn't say the same. I don't use white, unless that's the color I'm after. I thin at 50%, not 25%. And, I don't wipe off. I just bix the color I want, thin, brush on, let it dry. I've not experimented a lot with this yet, but what I have done I like. I'm gonna try even thinner mixes too, to get a more translucent look.

Not tried spraying latex yet. That'll be further down the line. I've been very curious about it, and good to hear it works well. Any problems with it?

 

[Travis Porter]

Have you considered using dyes, japan colors, or universal tints added to say waterbased poly or waterbased lacquer?

 

[JOAT]

Yep, I considered those things. Then unconsidered them, for various reasons, including that some of them are downright toxic. Anyway, more fun my way, and dI'm learning. For example, I've got an ugly rocker I made probably 8-9 years ago, and applied a cooking oil finish (unused) to. Still holding up well.