Hi all I am finishing a pine door with a medium brown water based dye, then two coats of shellac then water based poly.

My problem is the dye on hardwood always colors everything evenly.  The Pine is not acting that way.

It seems to have some issue.

When dyed it is even and uniform. But by the time the first coat of shellac is put on with a brush or foam brush the dye is not uniform.

Would I be better off spraying the shellac?  If so the alchol is quite flamable and I need to turn off the water tank and furnance.

When I get home I will upload some pictures.

My very kind spouse says she  likes the variation. 

This is my first endevour with a closed cell softwood.

 

Neither.   Wipe on the stain with a soft cloth or a used, clean nylon sock.  After you apply, wipe right away which will show the light spots.  Then reapply the stain selectively until the color comes together.  Practice on some scraps until you get the method down pat.

 

Larry Jenkins.

Is the dye Transtint? Regardless, I think the shellac is re dissolving the dye and causing the problem...if that's correct (and it is just a guess) then spraying the shellac should solve it.

Sorry, I missed this first time around.  Did you get it resolved?

 

Larry's technique works for pigment-based stains, where the clean vs. dirty wipe determines the intensity.    Pigment-based stains have a binder to hold the pigment in place until and while the first coat of finish is applied.

 

With dyes, the concentration more determines the intensity.   Depending on which type of dye you are using, it may be soluble in alcohol as well as water.  In that case, yes, the brush may be re-dissolving and moving the dye around or actually making the shellac colored and working as a toner (finish with color added).  Could that  be what you are seeing?  The fact that it looks good until you brush on the shellac makes me suspicious.

Fred and I must have been keying at the same time  (and I stopped to proofread).