Spraying water based stain?

[Russell Tribby]

I'm working on a large built-in for a client that she wants to match to her existing kitchen cabinets. Her cabinets are stained a dark mahogany. In the past I've sprayed numerous light coats of an alcohol based stain to achieve the color I was looking for. However, I want to get away from doing that since I'm working out of my garage. I would like to stick with water based products. This built-in has some large panels so I want to stay away from hand applying the finish. Any suggestions? Should I tint the lacquer I'm spraying? I've done that in the past and it has worked out okay. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

[Rob Cunningham]

Take a look at Trans Tint dyes from Homestead Finishing. They can be mixed into water, DNA, and most WB topcoats for toning. I just finished a small maple cabinet for my wife's Sunday school classroom, using TransTint dye in water for the stain. I sprayed light mist coats to build the color I wanted and topcoated with USL. They are very easy to work with. I have also added them to Target Ultima stains to tweak the color a little.
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/TransTint.htm

[Russell Tribby]

Rob, did you put down a washcoat first or a sanding sealer? If so how did the stain take on top of it? I think I'm going to give Target Coatings a try on this project since they're running a sale for the next two weeks.

[Stephen Bunch]

i think the dark colors are best achieved in steps, such as laying down a dye, then a wiping stain, then glazing and/or toning as needed. as to your washcoat question, typically when you are spraying dyes you don't need to b/c you control the color with the gun, and if you're not wiping, the color sits on the surface of the wood instead of being pushed down into it.

[Rob Cunningham]

Russell,
I did not use any washcoat or sanding sealer. I sanded to 220 grit and pre-raised the grain with a 50/50 solution of distilled water and DNA. After that dried, about 30 mins, I lightly sanded with 400 grit to knock down the whiskers. I then misted on light coats of TT mixed in water. I sprayed just enough to wet the wood but not have any puddling. This keeps the maple from blotching. After getting the color built to where I wanted it, I sealed with dewaxed shellac. Then topcoated with USL.