Hi everyone,
I'm working on a 60x32 inch maple table top and I've run into a problem, notably that the wood has cupped. I bought it from a big box store so I figured it was dried to the point of being ready to use (though I don't have a moisture reader). I did my glue up and was left with a pretty flat top that was level across both diagonals. I then let it sit for a week with pretty adequate air flow on each side before coming back and working on the bottom as follows:
-Wet the wood to raise the grain. After an hour I sanded gently with 320 grit to knock off the fibers.
-Flood with General Finishes dye stain and wipe off.
I got a nice color, but here's where I wonder if I made mistake. I wasn't entirely sure how long to let it dry so after about an hour I applied my first seal coat of shellac. After another hour I applied the second coat of shellac and then, after another 2-3 hours I applied a coat of minwax polycrylic. I let this sit overnight and then applied the final coat of polycrylic. It was at this point that I noticed that the table has cupped such that what will be the top is now convex. I don't think it's severe but it's definitely noticeable (I can measure when I get home but I'd say maybe 1/4 an inch?).
I'm wondering if this could be caused by sealing the water-based stain too soon. I'm reading around about cupping solutions (blind kerfing etc.) but I'm beginning to wonder if I should strip off my finish back down to bare wood and let it dry for a week to see if this fixes itself. Or, if I go to do the top tonight and repeat the grain raising/stain, is there a chance this would even it out?
If anyone has run into this I'd love to get your feedback. It's my first project and was going great up until this point so I'm hoping I can salvage it! Thanks!