Hello I'm preparing some live edge slabs that I cut about a month ago which I will use for shelving, to make a big table and a couple of desks. The only thing is that they are giving me a very hard time on choosing a product. At this point it's worth mentioning that some are oak and some are maple, but the maple ones are the hardest.
On the maple, which is the one that concerns me mostly I've already tried ebony shellac which had a very yellow tint that didn't look nice to me, general finishes gel stain antique walnut, either on its own or mixed with mineral spirits, which both were too dark, I've also tried waterlox which to me didn't seem to do anything in terms of color, and also a light stain which was water based and I liked this more than the rest.
So what I actually need is some suggestions from people that have done this in the past or have knowledge on what to use on the maple. I generally like a dark color on the wood, but not that dark that would cover the grain or the beauty of the natural wood itself. I don't know if there is a way to enhance the grain but also apply stain over it. So any advise on finishes or stains is more than welcome. Thank you. I'm also attaching a photo I have of one of the maple slabs so that you get an idea of what I have.
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On the maple, which is the one that concerns me mostly I've already tried ebony shellac which had a very yellow tint that didn't look nice to me, general finishes gel stain antique walnut, either on its own or mixed with mineral spirits, which both were too dark, I've also tried waterlox which to me didn't seem to do anything in terms of color, and also a light stain which was water based and I liked this more than the rest.
So what I actually need is some suggestions from people that have done this in the past or have knowledge on what to use on the maple. I generally like a dark color on the wood, but not that dark that would cover the grain or the beauty of the natural wood itself. I don't know if there is a way to enhance the grain but also apply stain over it. So any advise on finishes or stains is more than welcome. Thank you. I'm also attaching a photo I have of one of the maple slabs so that you get an idea of what I have.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk