Normally I do not use a prestain conditioner on oak or walnut. However, I do use it on pine, as pine gets blotchy with stain without the prestain conditioner. This is the first poplar wood table I have made. The wood seems pretty porous. Is prestain conditioner a good idea for poplar?

Doug, I personally have not finished enough poplar to say, hopefully others will read this and have more experience with it, what I would say off hand, is pre-stain cannot hurt your project that I am aware of, it may be unnecessary, but it won't hurt it so all it will really affect is your pocket book, but as always the only real way to know is to try it and see if it makes a difference or not. If you are doing this on one of your tables, I think I would do that just so that I know how it affects the wood. Will be priceless to know for future project too

Yes, I would use a pre stain conditioner on Poplar. It can get blotchy without it

Doug,

If your still interested. i've finished a lot of Poplar. While many consider this wood to be only a paintable wood I've found the following to be successful

My final finish is a deep reddish mahogany type

Sand through the grits to 220 (don't skip a grit)

Raise the grain with water and sand lightly

First 1 coat of Zinnser SealCoat cut 50% with alcohol.

Next Transtint Deep Red dye (I use the powdered transtint in Water)

Next General Finish Gel Stain (I use a Dark Cherry). How much you remove is up to you. I usually remove quite a bit and use two coats till I get what I want.

Finish with a clear (satin or gloss) finish (I like General Finish wiping Poly). Number of coats and sand between coats is up to you

Buff out with steel wool and wax