I am refinishing an antique bed for my son. It is at least 60 years old but not necessarily top-of-line furniture. It has at least three distinct woods or wood veneers that were originally finished in a dark red mahogany color. It also had two coats of paint on top.
- Fronts of head and foot boards have some very pretty Mahogany veneer.
- Side boards are Pine, very grainy and the red stain has soaked into the grain very well.
- Spindle legs appear to be a lighter colored Mahogany with descent appearing grain (maybe, just now getting them cleaned up pretty well).
Problem is the original red finish and varying penetration on the different woods. I have most of the finish off but I am having difficulty getting the various shades of red evened out. I really don't want to bleach and I do plan to go back with a dark mahogany or red oak color.
Does this sound like a good candidate for a gel stain? Again, this isn't top quality furniture but I do want it to look nice.