I have 4 panel doors through out my house. All stained a dark brown. Over time, because the door panels float, they have shifted, exposing a thin line of unstained wood. #1: How do I stain that thin stripe of wood so that it matches the rest of the door? The doors are pine and have never been varnished. #2: When I install a new door, how do I keep this from happening? (other than waiting a year to stain them)
Solution 1: Grab the panel on both sides and pull it back into place.
Solutions 2: You get one of those stain color sheets from the paint department at the local paint store. Then you buy several tones that might work such as light brown, dark, red, etc. You mix and test somewhere (maybe take one door off and test on the bottom). Keep testing until you are close. Use a small, quality, artist brush and carefully apply it to the unstained area.
Water based stains smell nicer and dry faster, but I've had less luck matching with them - particularly when it's old oil stain that I'm matching.
You _might_ be able stain the door then move the panel to stain the "hidden" areas. They don't always move easily when new, but they usually do in a few years when the door shrinks or in the Winter when it's dry.
I have a 6-panel basement door dark-stained by the previous homeowner with the same thing going on and really, the stripe isn't all that noticeable unless you stand there and look for it, so I've left that sleeping dog lie. But I'm not as anal as a lot of folks, so you could try dipping a Q-tip swab into the matching stain you originally used and swab the stripe, or getting one of those small, flat foam brush from the hardware store and using just the pointy-angled tip to get into the crevice where the stripe is. Only thing is, the experience may end up being kinda frustrating if you get new stain on the old stain and possibly make it darker than it already is.
AJS
If they are raised panels, get a block of wood and a malet and tap them back to center.
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