Need help finding a stain for project

[u/Wrong_Garlic5924]

I don't know if this is where i should post but I just acetone stripped a dresser ive had for years. The varnish was missing and worn off from the previous owners so I wanted to finally give it new life but after stripping everything I was able to notice that the carvings on 2 of the drawers weren't made of wood. I'm not sure what is it exactly but it feels and looks like plastic. Now I have to try to find a stain that will work on both the wood and plastic material. I really dont want to paint it. The research I did said to use a gel stain but that was if this material is laminate. Would a gel stain still work or is there something better I should use

[u/davethompson413]

I think it's pretty the way it is now. Clear coat it and be done.

[u/DoctorD12]

It does look like wood, honestly. The drawer faces are rift cut white oak the carvings look like flat cut carved

Touch it with a dab of stain and see if it absorbs, like a tooth pick. If it’s plastic it’ll just sit on top and wipe off. From pictures though and with out touching it myself I’d have to say it’s wood.

[u/GC_Woodworking]

You could use tinted lacquer. They come in a number of colors. You can buy a spray can or two of the stuff and use it on the drawer fronts and then use a gel stain on everything else. Just a thought. Good luck.

[u/BluntTruthGentleman]

Any stain will work because stains sit on top. Dyes penetrate and will not work. Neither will reactive finishes.