On my slant front tool cart project I applied a stain to the inside and outer trim and top that has a reddish tint to it. I really don't care for it and would like to change the stain to a walnut colored stain to come close to the Walnut accent stripes on the drawer fronts. The drawer fronts will have BLO and poly for the finish so they contrast with the rest of the cart.

I've read that you can lightly sand the unwanted finish and apply the darker stain to change it. If I do this can I simply apply the walnut stain to the sides of this cart and will it match the areas that I have already applied the unwanted stain to? Or will I have to apply the reddish stain to the sides first before applying the walnut stain to the remaining unfinished parts of the cart?

Thanks for your input!

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www.thepatriotwoodworker.com Proud Supporter of Homes For Our Troops

Mike,

If the finish was true stain (not tinted poly), I'm not sure a light sanding will have much effect- as the stain soaked down into the wood. Maybe applying another color over top the current one would darken/adjust the color. I'd do a couple of test runs on some scrap to see how it would look.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

Sand it down, start over.

Yes it will affect the color and you'll be able to see it.