Is it possible to stain a wood veneer?

How can I stain a wood veneered piece of cheap furniture? I recently bought a media cabinent on sale (about $60 from a place going out of business), but it is a medium oak-to-cherry brownish-orange color. The rest of the furniture in the room is dark walnut brown, and I%26#39;d like to match the new piece with the old pieces. I went out and bought a walnut stain, tried applying it to the back of a shelf, but it never penetrated the (probably) sealed surface. Whatever I applied easily wiped off without changing the color of anything. What I want to know is, is there any method of stripping the sealer coat from a cheap veneer and getting a stain into it? Or is it a lost cause? Is painting it my only option?
Hi there! The simple answer to your quesiton is: %26quot;Yes it%26#39;s possible, but ...%26quot; The first thing you should do is be sure that your cabinet is really veneer. That is has a thin layer of REAL wood over whatever product is underneath. Maybe carefully separate a spot on the bottom or back to see that there is in fact wood there, and not some type composite plastic material. If it%26#146;s plastic, then paint is your only option. Then you should decide how much time you are willing to spend to get a good looking result. Anything that removes the sealant will also affect the stain underneath. You may get streaking and end up being committed to stripping the entire piece and re-staining from bare wood. Next, be aware that your walnut stain will not end up being its advertised color if you apply it over the oak/cherry. Finally (take it from someone who knows!), wood stripping and refinishing of furniture is labor intensive, messy, and exacting. The whole process may take a week or more depending on the size of the piece. This is why it%26#146;s usually reserved for the preservation of family pieces and antiques. But, if you decide you%26#146;re going to do this, what you should do first is test the finish. The general rule is that you start with the least invasive product and work your way to stronger and stronger until you find one that works. The usual progression is warm water then ammonia then alcohol then acetone (nail polish remover) and then to commercial stripping products. There are many products on the market that remove finish from wood. Your best bet is to go to your local hardware store and ask the people there. But here are a few examples. http://www.parkscorp.com/parkspaint.html http://www.minwax.com/ Here are some sites that offer techniques for stripping furniture http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/stripping.html http://ms.essortment.com/howtorefinish_ojm.htm http://www.atbs.com/diy/refinish/wood.html If you%26#146;d like a personal recommendation from someone who has refinished lots of antique furniture (not to mention much of the woodwork in an 1870%26#146;s home) I%26#146;d recommend painting the cabinet instead. Good luck with your project! -K~ search terms used: %26#147;wood stripping%26#148; products %26#147;wood stripping%26#148; technique