How to get a uniform stain on Alder?

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DaveS

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I've stripped the paint from some 1930s hollow internal doors and want to stain them to a honey oak colour. The skins are Alder, about 5mm thick, and have a fairly attractive grain. My earlier attempts at staining have been hit-and-miss but I haven't tried to get a good finish on anything as large as a door and, from some googling, it seems that it can be hard to avoid blotchiness when staining Alder.
My plan is to sand to 180, pre-treat with dilute shellac, and then a light 220 sand before applying the stain. Does this sound sensible? I've read that a gel stain would be preferable but these are new to me and seem hard to find - what does the team think?
All suggestions gratefully received.
 
How about using a tinted oil like Osmo Honey. I used it on an engineered oak floor applying it with a mini roller and got a really good colour and finish.
Thanks for the suggestion but I'm wary of using a tinted top coat because the light coloured ash will show through when the door is scratched.
 
Dont do this without testing first, but somewhere in my brain is saying that you should rub the surface fown with meths prior to staining, which will reduce blotchiness.

But i cant remember if i read that somewhere? Ive got a feeling it was on a sikkens instruction booklet, but again, it was ages ago
 
Yes, I have always done that before staining but I think thinned shellac should be more reliable.
 
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