# Staining poplar



## jb3628 (Apr 2, 2007)

I am trimming a new home and the HO wants to use poplar trim & crown moulding and stain it. I've always considered poplar as paint grade material, but he says use it. Any opinions on this?


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## Chris G (May 17, 2006)

I think there was another thread on the subject. Might want to check that.

Poplar isn't the best for staining. Some grain profiles don't take it in well. Also, you can have a lot of green in the wood. I wold recommend staining up some sample pieces and showing those to your client. If they say great, then you are good to go. If not, Maple may give them what they are looking for.


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## Cole (Aug 27, 2004)

jb3628 said:


> I am trimming a new home and the HO wants to use poplar trim & crown moulding and stain it. I've always considered poplar as paint grade material, but he says use it. Any opinions on this?


I consider poplar paint grade as well.

I hope you charge enough if you decide to tackle this job for the PITA factor.

Check This Thread Out!


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

*SSSSSh! * Don't tell my DIL! :whistling
Son and I just re-trimmed their front door and transom
craftsman style, flat case/backband, stained poplar.
She thinks it's "gorgeous". :clap:
Rubbed it down with spirits before stain though.
She's happy = he's happy = Dad's happy. :thumbup:


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## Double-A (Jul 3, 2006)

One thing to consider with maple is how little stain it will actually absorb. If you want a dark color, it may not be a good choice. Oak might be a better choice.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

jb3628 said:


> I am trimming a new home and the HO wants to use poplar trim & crown moulding and stain it. I've always considered poplar as paint grade material, but he says use it. Any opinions on this?


Seriously, I've had the best luck with poplar by pre-staining,
because it works best if rubbed with spirits.
Never could work that trick well if it's on the wall.


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## hometechnc (Jan 5, 2008)

I think a simple answer to this is: Look at the Wood .... Poplar is not an attractive wood. It is the softest hardwood, and used mostly in cabinet framing and furniture.

Why would anyone want to use it as a Stained wood is beyond me. I would personally refuse to use it, and if need be, refuse the job. Sounds like a no-win situation.


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## gideond (May 17, 2007)

I've built a lot of book shelves out of it all stained with Red Mahogany and finished with Minwax wipe-on Poly. They look excellent. I've never had issues staining poplar.


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

hometech, i wouldnt refuse a job because of the wood, id just make the clients aware of the finish. a side by side sample is hard to do, stain and paint grade. some of my customer want laminate, some want bamboo, if i refuse to work with both and say i only deal with oak, then i'll be home for pretty long time.


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## Chris G (May 17, 2006)

hometechnc said:


> I think a simple answer to this is: Look at the Wood .... Poplar is not an attractive wood. It is the softest hardwood, and used mostly in cabinet framing and furniture.
> 
> Why would anyone want to use it as a Stained wood is beyond me. I would personally refuse to use it, and if need be, refuse the job. Sounds like a no-win situation.


Refusing a job because you disagree with a person's aesthetics is a tad unprofessional do you not think?


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## MakDeco (Jan 17, 2007)

All tho re-fusing a job because you think you do not have the skills or know-how to complete it satisfactory to all parties involved to me is not unprofessional. I have refused faux finish jobs that I felt I could not do to satisfactory result, yes you may lose a client but the client may respect your honesty and find someone else to do that particular task but yet still call you back in the future.


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

Chris G said:


> Refusing a job because you disagree with a person's aesthetics is a tad unprofessional do you not think?


I can appreciate that
But with finishing like this...it's more complex of a situation

As a painter, you don't want to get the rep in the neighborhood of "that guy that did those god-awful steps next door", or "the guy that did that hideous green monstrosity down the road"

It can easily affect you adversly


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## Joewho (Sep 20, 2006)

It depends on the customers eye. If you have experience, then you can tell how they will react to the work. It's a crapshoot really. 

One customer could have a really good eye, but is running out of money. 

Another customer doesn't care about money and thinks the work you did looks great, on poplar.

Another customer would have thought the work look great, but before hand you told him about poplar and when you finished you pointed it out.

Like I said, it's a crapshoot unless you get a feel for the customer.


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## hometechnc (Jan 5, 2008)

Chris G said:


> Refusing a job because you disagree with a person's aesthetics is a tad unprofessional do you not think?



I view it as a wise business decision that is not at all "unprofessional" Chris.

I am under the assumption that the reason for wanting stained Poplar trim, is more economics than aesthetics. (if I am wrong, and it is simply that the customer likes the looks of "stained poplar", then hey .... go for it!

But if it is economics, then is 30+ years of doing business, I have learned (the hard way), that the customers that want to cut corners are the ones that will give you the most callbacks and grief. I now only take work from clients with whom I am on the same page... Works out quite nicely.

Obviously, it will be quite difficult for anyone to make the proper assessment, since (just in case no one's noticed), the original poster did not divulge the reason for the customer wanting poplar. Nor has he responded to any of the replies.

He just sitting back and watching all the egos going back and forth ! lol


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

hometechnc said:


> ...watching all the egos going back and forth


You could argue the replies are all by people that are trying to help, and have enough "ego" to think they have a good idea
You would need a little "ego" to think your advise could maybe help another contractor
If nobody on these boards had enough "ego" to think they could answer some simple questions, there would never be any replies to any questions

It would just be a lot of questions


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## Joewho (Sep 20, 2006)

I think this is a good thread. 
We all elaborate and we all benefit from the other guys. For me, I need a "feel" for everything. Reading this particular thread gives me that feel (which I already have), and probably gives the same to other PAINTERS who read it.

Heh, everyone has an ego. You're born with it. You go somewhere and ask for opinions, you'll get plenty of them.

The callback statement is true but very broad. I don't see any call backs with using poplar trim. Is it going to fall off the wall? If the customer knows about the finish and wants it anyway, how can there be a callback?

We don't recommend poplar, and it's prudent for the carpenter to ask, but in reality, it happens a lot. As far as painting, some guys choose not to touch the poplar, to maintain a certain client base. Others will stain it because it's a good business decision. I sincerly do not believe I will lose a single high end customer because I stained poplar. I might lose one because some ******* painter twisted the story to steal a customer though.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Just occurred to me that this might be another regional thing.
Back here poplar is gonna be "tulip poplar"
which isn't really poplar at all, 
but part of the magnolia family.
Maybe some of you are getting "true" poplar
which is aspen (or less likely cottonwood).
I would agree that aspen is pretty much hopeless for stain,
and not worth the effort anyway.
Poplar isn't my wood of choice for trim, 
but to match existing or depending on price and availability,
it can be presentable if handled right.
If I just put up every POS that the yard sends out
any species can look crappy.


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## Dorman Painting (May 2, 2006)

I just got done staining a poplar staircase and it turned out decent considering it was poplar. The builder basically wanted to save money and went the poplar route. I started a thread on this about two weeks ago. 

Here's the thing, I've stained or clearcoated red oak staircases that absolutely blow the poplar case out of the water. But my builder was happy with the results, his comment yesterday was "Troy, you did a very good job on the steps considering they were poplar". So he knew they weren't an easy job. I had to stain them twice, using a palm sander between each stain coat to knock down some of the spottiness. Poplar spots when stained, you'll have odd circles here or there that don't look uniform with the entire tread. 

I would never have chosen it in this house considering it's a half million dollar home but he blew his budget on cabinets, tile, bathrooms etc. Basically leaving VERY little for a paint job, this irritates the crap out of me because a solid paint job is what really sets a house off. I did manage to finagle two thousand in extras, that was pretty sweet and helped me come out MUCH better than I would've otherwise.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Dorman Painting said:


> I just got done staining a poplar staircase and it turned out decent considering it was poplar.... Poplar spots when stained, you'll have odd circles here or there that don't look uniform with the entire tread....


The blotchiness is why I rub it down with spirits,
really helps even it out in my limited experience.
Works as well as the "conditioners" that I've tried.
That said, I can't imagine using anything 
as soft as poplar for stairs, except maybe skirt boards.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

As far as cheap?
I just got quotes today.
4-9/16" jamb sides:
$ 8.40 WP
$10.76 poplar
Six months ago it was the reverse.
And we are in the heart of tulip poplar country.


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## KnHProperties (Jan 14, 2008)

We have had some luck staining poplar wood. It is a little hit and miss. The best stain we have found is Sherwin Williams wiping stain. We usually get it custom tinted. The heavier pigment over Minwax's stains usually works a lot better. Also I sometimes restain it with Old Masters Gel Stain. Usually does not come out blotchy and evens out the dark grain issues. 

The main problem is the builder likes the way it turns out so he uses it more often now.

Just my opinions.


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