Before staining, dust off the item with a high pressure air hose. If any putty blows out it was not applied properly or was to dry and did not stick. It is better for it to come out now than after all the color work is done. The final color we want is a warm reddish dark amber for this cherry table. The base stain will be a NGR stain of amber-fruitwood and yellow. We want a bright background color to "shine" through the glaze coat and shading stain. After staining a coat of vinyl sealer is applied to bring out (make visible) the true color.