I have just got a new TV cabinet (from IKEA, model typeLEKSVIK) that turns out to be too light in colour . It's made from pine - stained & clear acrylic lacquered. What is the best way to darken it from about light oak to dark oak without having to remove all of the lacquer. I have thought of using stain on top of the lacquer or maybe using a coloured varnish.
Stain over the lacquer isn't likely to work, it needs to be applied to bare wood. The trouble with coloured varnish IME is that it looks just like coloured varnish!
If its pine it will probably darken over time to some extent.
Take it back to the shop or else live with the colour it is. You won't easily stain over that lacquer. You won't get that lacquer off Ikea products well enough to permit staining under it.
Which can actually look better than a stain if the base colour isn't too pale. A lot of antique finishes are based on glaze colours. You may find a stain based on naptha, or some other strong solvent, will attack the Ikea lacquer sufficiently to bond with it.
But to an orange colour rather than dark oak.
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