Hello,

I made a large table top (84" x 42") out of hard maple. I milled this wood from rough lumber. It came out beautifully (and heavy). However, when I applied MinWax stain (Provincial oil-based), the stain did not take uniformly, but has a mottled look. It is dark in some places and light in others. There is a "line" of light area all the way across the top near the middle. I did not use any pre-stain conditioner, as I believed maple to be hard and non-porous. What can I do to remedy or improve this stain result?

I tried two things, (1) heating the wood and trying to put another coat of stain. This did noting. (2) resanding the areas that are light and reapplying stain. This slightly improved it, but not nearly enough.

I didn't find the right solution from the internet.
References:

http://www.woodworkweb.com/forum/5-wood-finishing/6923-how-to-fix-a-mottled-stain-finish-on-maple.html