My bathroom vanity was not properly stained. It is not even. The edges are still showing the original light maple color. There are paint-like drips everywhere. I doubt that it has been sealed because it feels rough.
What would be the best way to fix this without buying a whole new vanity? My original plan was going for IKEA style dark chocolate and still be able to see a little bit of the grain. The chocolate wood in the following photo illustrates my goal.
Edit: I found the stain in the shed that is most likely to be used by the previous guy:
Best Answer
There are several stain-like finishes for wood:
Your furniture looks like it may have been done with varnish/poly stain. If this is so, more stain will not penetrate. If you sand off the excess, there will still be some areas that are effectively sealed because of the finish part of the coating. You might be able to add more of the same and get a more even coating. However, you may need to sand most of it off and effectively start again.
Surface stains are more prone to have lighter edges because they do not penetrate, and as you brush them out, very little stain and color is left on the edge.
When you say see a little bit of the grain do you mean texture or color variations. If texture, you are talking about a thinned paint-like finish, a type of glaze, rather than a true stain. Your cabinets are made of wood that has very little surface texture. if you mean slight color variations, either penetrating stain or varnish/poly stain can do this if carefully applied.