HELP! Staining light (soft?) Wood into dark mahogany.

[Eltjuh]

Hi this is my first time here.
We have taken it upon ourselves to stain our light wood dining table into a dark mahogany colour so it goes with our other furniture.... taken it all apart and sanded all the pieces. Then tried the stain on a small piece, but it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere near as dark as we'd like.
I've applied 3 coats so far (with the recommended 4hrs drying time in between and sanding it a little in between aswell)
Please help! Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I've added a picture of what it looks like after 3 coats.

 

[Droogs]

Welcome Eltjuh, Could you give a bit more detail.
Are you using a wood dye or a wood stain (they work in different ways)? Which brand and specific colour - such as peruvian mahogany, red mahogany etc. Whether it is a water based product or one of the older types oil or alchohol based these make a difference. Also what is the original wood of the table.
This will help the folks here to better advise you

 

[Eltjuh]

I went to a shop today to ask and they recommended using a different colour, so I got a Teak instead, as it's a bit darker and less red.
They weren't sure what the wood type was, neither am I - upon googling it looks like a maple or birch? Very light!

The stain I used was a Wilko 5 year woodstain in Mahogany (Satin).

Now I've bought a Ronseal Quick drying woodstain in Teak (Gloss).

 

[Chrispy]

The stain I used was a Wilko 5 year woodstain in Mahogany (Satin).

Now I've bought a Ronseal Quick drying woodstain in Teak (Gloss).[/quote]

Sound to me that you have brought fence paint! not really what you want for furniture, or is it an outside table?

 

[Eltjuh]

No it's a dining table. But on both tins it says it's suitable for indoor furniture. The Wilko 5yr one says it's for both indoor and outdoor.
I think the Ronseal one is a bit better colour wise, as it's not so red. The mahogany one seemed just bright red really.

 

[Droogs]

have a look at rustins or colron dyes, the penetrate the wood rather than sit on top like a stain. there are also several different shade of mahognay available going from almost purple to pink in colour