About 10 years ago, I built a beautiful hardwood table as a gift for a family member. Weeks of hard work culminated in one of the finest pieces of furniture I’d ever created, and the recipient was thrilled.

The problem was, I chose maple, which is notoriously difficult to stain, even for seasoned woodworkers. Maple’s unique grain patterns and varying density from one spot to the next leads to blotchy, uneven stain jobs that look terrible. Worse, they’re nearly impossible to fix once they’re applied.

Basswood and pine often present the same problems. That’s why, in all honesty, my first tip about staining maple is simply to choose a different wood — especially if you’re a beginner.

But if you have your heart set on working with maple, all is not lost. I’ve learned some tricks over the years that eliminate all stain blotchiness and achieve a beautiful, even appearance. Here are my first-hand tips on wood stains for maple, and how to apply them.

Sand the Wood

Begin all staining jobs by thoroughly sanding your workpiece.

Start with a coarser grit of sandpaper (around 120-grit), then gradually work you way to a finer grit (around 220-grit). Following sanding, make sure you vacuum every surface of your project before breaking out the stain.

Use a Pre-Stain Conditioner

Buy and apply a pre-stain conditioner of the same brand as the stain you’re using. When working with maple, your battle against blotchiness will be won or lost with this step.

Pre-stain conditioner goes on like a stain without color. It chemically changes the wood to even out the absorptiveness of its grain.