| Staining Wood 101 |
| Home Made Easy shares the basics of staining wood. |
From "Home Made Easy"
episode DHME-151 |
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Guest Allegra Bennett joins host Stephanie Lydecker to explain the basic steps for staining wood.
Wood Staining 101- Any time you work with stain you should always be in a well ventilated area.
- Water-based stains come in a wider variety of choices than their oil-based counterparts. You should also take extra precaution to protect your eyes and skin by using safety glasses and disposable plastic gloves. Wear work clothes. And you should cover your work area in plastic drop cloths or several layers of newspaper.
- The piece of furniture must me sanded clean of all finishes and any residue.
- Always test stain on a piece of unseen portion of the furniture you are working on. If you're staining a chair, a table or a stool you should flip it over and apply a little stain on its underside. This will give you a good indication of what the stain will look like.
- Once you've tested your stain, the next step is to apply one thin coat of wood conditioner with a paintbrush over the wood surface—and let it dry for 15 minutes. A wood conditioner makes sure that the stain doesn't leave blotches on the wood.
- You can apply your stain with a brush or rag. Working with a brush you just want to apply the stain so that the wood gets completely covered; however, wipe off the excess stain going in the direction of the grain. This allows the stain to absorb better. If you wipe off the stain and it isn't as dark as you would like, simply apply more stain until you get the color that you desire.
Note: This project usually dries in two hours.
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