Sometimes you get blotchy finishes from using an oil finish, such as Danish oil, or a stain. The finish turns out blotchy because the pores in some woods, such as cherry, take in differing amounts of the oil and have an uneven appearance.

You can't correct this after the damage has been done, so you need to make sure that you plan for it before you start finishing. You can avoid this problem two ways:

• Use a sanding sealer or other pore-filling product to fill the pores of the wood before you apply the final finish.
• Use a finish that sits on top of the wood rather than absorbing into it. Varnish and shellac are two examples.

Other times, stain doesn't take at all. The most common reasons this happens are that you used a non-staining wood filler or you have some glue that you didn't completely wipe off after assembling the piece.

Both problems are easy to prevent but not as easy to correct. So make sure you use a wood filler that can take stain, and be sure to wipe off all the glue that oozes out of a joint when you assemble it.

If you do end up with an unstained spot on your project, apply some colored glaze (semi-transparent solution similar to thinned-out paints or stains) to the unstained area, adjusting the color and coverage until you get a match to the stained wood. Let it dry and then topcoat it.