I haven't tried it YET, but I'm thinking about doing it with my kitchen cabinets. I've seen several people on here mention using a gel stain and I may be wrong, but I don't think you have to sand the wood before you use it.

Laurie

bumping...I'd like to know too!
Astrid

This would be a huge job, even for someone with a lot of refinishing experience.

To do it right, you would need to dismantle the shelves and remove the doors and the hardware... then you would have to sand every square millimeter of the wood surface, including the inside of the cabinets.

Then you would have to stain the wood, re-sand -- and after that, apply at least one coat of clear finish.

Gel stain is not a time-saver. You still need to sand if you're using gel stain. Gel stain is good for certain applications, but it is messy and hard to control in nooks and crannies, which you will have a zillion of.

Here is more about using gel stain:

Here is a link that might be useful: gel stain

I would just put dark panels in the back of the bookcases to bring in the darker color you want. I think your wood is beautiful.

I think caminnc's idea is excellent!

Bare wood is like a freshly scrubbed face. Penetrating (oil-based) stain is made to absorb into wood and give it color. Gel stains were initially formulated for fiberglass doors, trickier jobs such as vertical surfaces (avoids drips) and it allows more color control (you can build up color in layers) because bare wood doesn't suck up the thicker gel stain as rapidly as it does a penetrating oil stain. Gel stain also looks a bit different than penetrating stain. It's more of a 'hand-rubbed' look. Hard to describe, you have to see it on wood.

People do use gel stain over finished wood. Would I do it personally? No. I'm kind of from the old school of thought that if wood is to be done 'properly' it's necessary to remove all existing layers of protection (poly, varnish) via wood stripper and remove all existing color (stain, dye) via sanding, get back to naked wood and start fresh.

But that doesn't mean I'm 100% right ;) Minwax does not promote their gel stain as being applicable over finished wood. Yet Old Masters does with their Wiping Stain. It will not be a true 'stain' when used in that manner (because the protective clear finish is preventing any color from absorbing into the wood). Rather it will be a glaze or faux finish that isn't even reaching the wood itself, it's sitting there on top the protective finish coat (poly).

With that said, it still does not alleviate the final step in woodworking of applying a protective top coat over the gel. Otherwise, every time you slide a book across the dried gel, or a knick knack, or wipe off kitchen cabs, it's going to compromise the gel and eventually you'll have an unattractive mess.

Some people try to take a shortcut using a product like Minwax Polyshades, which is polyurethane with colorant mixed in. IMHO that is one of the worst ways to try to do anything with wood. Color (stain, dye) can be tricky to work with, polyurethane is tricky to work with, combine the two in a can, it can be your worst nightmare. You have almost zero control over color because you've got to cater to the poly. It's not like stain where you can wipe immediately if it's too dark or apply another layer if it's too light. (I used PShades once, on an antique table I was refinishing, and promptly stripped it back off again. I've not gone near the stuff since.)

Thanks for the input. Just what I needed to hear. As much as I would like them darker, I'm not willing to put that much time, effort or money into changing them. In addition to the bookshelf, I would have to do the french doors and all the trim in the room also.

Anyway as in my first post, I'm still looking for ways to update and change the look of the room. I still want to use the room as a library/den. Also need to keep the furniture for now. Keeping my eyes open for nice slip covers.
Thanks again for those who took the time to answer my question.