staining oak veneer?

[cabinetman]

Well, after trying the stain on some scrap, I decided that it did not match exactly the other. It came out just a little bit darker. So, what I wound up doing was returning the stain and buying some poly. I think that will match up pretty good (just finish without any stain). I put one coat on Saturday afternoon, but had company Sunday and did not get a chance to put on any more coats.

I did use some MinWax wood filler before brushing on the poly (sorry, Sarge, I didn't read your post until afterwards). I will be able to tell you a little more on how it looks after a couple more coats of the poly. I did not use a lot of the filler, just a little here and there to match up the edges a little, then I wound up sanding most of it off. So, it is pretty hard to see/tell the filler is there. Actually, the color matches up pretty well with the veneer.

It's going slow, but I'm getting there.

You can achieve a variety of looks and feel with Red Oak, either in solid wood form or veneered form. It doesn't matter what the substrate is when staining Red Oak veneer. Stains or dyes just color the wood. The type of substrate under a veneer doesn't "pull", or affect how much color is retained by the veneer.

The different forms of "coloring" all do the same thing...that is, color the wood. What is different is these mediums vary in working properties. Some stay active longer than others. Solvent based stains and dyes may carry a higher resolution of color concentration, as the solvent evaporates and pigment (or color medium) is retained.

Pigmented oil base stains and alcohol based dyes work very well on Red Oak. Water based stains and dyes may raise the grain slightly, and for some may be easier to apply. Once cured, most stains and dyes can be topcoated with most finishes.

The question of whether to use a grain filler or not depends on what look and feel is desired. They can be used to achieve a very slick finish with little or no feel of any woodgrain, and a completely smooth finish similar to a piano type finish. There may be some misunderstanding about "wood filler", and "grain filler" also called "paste wood filler". Minwax "wood filler" is not intended to do what grain fillers do. It is a wood putty. Available in both solvent and water based, grain fillers do exactly that. They fill the pores and grain differentials. I use grain fillers before staining. They can be used in a natural color, bought in a variety of colors, or be tinted. Again, grain fillers are not a wood putty, like Famowood...as an example of a wood putty.

Examples of "grain fillers/paste wood fillers"
Behlen
Constantines


If grain fillers are not used, a very natural smooth finish can be achieved retaining the look and feel of the grain, by using any final finish over plain or stained/dyed wood.
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[dealweb]

Like I said, this was my first time doing this, and was the first cabinet I ever built. I know I had to make some mistakes, but I am happy with the end result.

Well you did a beautiful job. Again, congrats.