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The actual pores in poplar are very small. Poplar is what most call a 'closed-grain' hardwood. What most people refer to as grain is the actual pores. The grain in oak, for instance, is simply the longitudinal pores. If it has pores like oak, but is green like poplar, it's likely swamp ash, not poplar.
If you want to enhance the color of poplar and have already stained it, I would suggest using a color deck to pick out which colors I wanted to enhance and get them mixed in a glaze. Glaze over the top of two coats sand n seal, one coat finish.
Process would look like this:
raise grain
presand
stain
2x sand n seal
putty
sand
1x finish
glaze 1 color
wait 2 days
glaze 2 color
wait 2 days
2x finish
It's important to put a finish over your putty or it will take the color of the glaze. It's also importan to wait long enough for the glaze to dry before applying a finish over top of the glaze. Wet finish will pull a mostly dry glaze right off your trim and make an ugly mess.
You will probably want to apply the glaze in a 2 brush method to soften the edges of the color where you want to enhance it.
You can also do this with stain during the staining phase. Simply apply by brush and pull off with a dry brush, adding and removing as you see fit until your product meets your needs. However, that is generally only of use when you want to color the wood and cover the grain.
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