DIY Network

Staining Wood From "Ask DIY" episode ADI-103

advertisement

Always test stain on scrap wood before using it on your precious wood furniture. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E

Q: I'm getting ready to bring some new life to a few old pieces of furniture in my basement. Most are ready to be stained, but I'm afraid of ruining them. Can Bruce give me a primer on stain?

A: (Bruce Johnson, Ask DIY Woodworking expert) You can save money by staining unfinished furniture. But staining is scary, because it is permanent -- and you do have to be careful. There are also a lot of products you might use, including oil-based and water-based stains and wood conditioners (figure A) which can get confusing Here are some ways to avoid common staining difficulties:

Safety Alert -- Any time you work with stain, protect your eyes and skin by wearing safety glasses and disposable rubber gloves. Remember, anything that can permanently stain wood will stain your fingers, too! Also wear old clothes to work, since you might spill some stain.

• Always test your stain on a piece of scrap wood before starting on the furniture.

• So that the stain doesn't leave blotches on the wood, always apply a thin coat of wood conditioner first (figure B), using an inexpensive brush. Give the conditioner about 15 minutes to dry before applying the stain -- but don't sand it, there's no need.

• Oil-based stains, which are the most common, consist of dyes and pigments mixed in with mineral spirits. Make sure to stir the can thoroughly before you stain, to bring the dyes and pigments up off of the bottom so you'll get the full color from the stain.

  Safety Alert: When you work with oil-based stains, you have fumes, so make sure you always work in a well-ventilated area.

• Apply stain with a brush or a rag, depending on your preference. With a staining brush, you work with the grain and against it (figure C). You can be fairly sloppy. All that matters is that you get a nice, even liberal coat over the wood. At this point, you can wipe the stain off immediately for a lighter tone, or leave it on for five or even 10 minutes before wiping it off, for a deeper tone.

• Be sure to wipe off all the excess stain going in the direction of the grain of the wood (figure D). That will guarantee that the stain gets into the wood, instead of laying on top -- and it really shows off the grain of the wood to advantage.

• If you'd like to avoid fumes, you can go with a water-based stain. One of the advantages to water-based stains is that they come in a wide variety of colors (figure E), even more colors than the oil-based. Apply the water-based stain the same way you do oil-based.

• If you ever have a time when you wipe off the stain and it's not as dark as you like, that's when you should go back over and apply some more stain.

• Remember that you've only applied color with a stain -- not a finish. Always apply a finish on top of stained wood. Or, if you're short on time, reach for a product that combines both stain and finish. With one coat, you're done. But you do need to brush the product on more carefully, finishing by brushing with the grain of the wood. You'll also want to use a higher-quality brush than you would with ordinary stains.

More Questions for Bruce:

Q: Can you mix stain to make your own color?

A: You can, provided both stains are made by the same manufacturer and both are either water-based or oil-based. You do not want to mix oil and water! And measure the amounts you use of each stain, and write it down, so you can duplicate the stain again if you need to.

Q: Can I put a water-based finish over an oil-based stain?

A: Yes, but only if you wait a full 24 hours for all of the mineral spirits to evaporate from the oil-based stain. If it's rainy out, or cold, give it an additional 24 hours.

Q: What's the shelf life for a can of stain? I've discovered eight cans of fairly expensive stain that are at least three years old. Should I ditch them or keep them?

A: Keep them. Stains can be expensive, and the nice thing about them is that they don't tend to set up in the can like the finish will. If you have a skin coat on the top when you open the can, toss it. But otherwise, it's still good to use.

Web Site Resources for Staining:

Lowes Staining Page

Finishing Solid Wood Furniture from Haywoods.com

Books:

Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select & Apply the Right Finish
By Bob Flexner, 1999
Reader's Digest
Customer Service
PO Box 235
Pleasantville, NY 10570-0235
Phone: 800-310-6261

The Wood Finishing BookBy Michael Dresdner, 1999
The Taunton Press
635 Main St.
Newton, CT 06470
Customer Service Phone: 800-243-7252