Hellofriends and welcome to another Quick Tip Tuesday! Today’s tip isn’t super quick, but I know you’llfind it SUPER HELPFUL! Today I’m answeringsome of your questions onstaining wood furniture. I’m also throwing in afew of my own concerns that I had when I first started out!
With the popularity of painted and stained restyled furniture, these 10 tips are going to take the ‘intimidating’ out of staining… and start you on your way to creating some beautiful pieces!
1. SHOULD I USEOIL STAIN OR WATER BASED STAIN?
Either or works beautifully and I still use both. Just like paints though, I believe more and more furniture painters/artists are making the switch to water based products. The benefits of water based stain is similar towater based paints. No harsh fumes or odors. Easy clean up. Faster dry time. And a TON of colors and shades to choose from.
2.STAIN OR PAINT FIRST?
I’m going to giveone of these do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do answers. Stain before paint is usually the norm! Why?Because if you mess up, you can easily paint overstain, but it’s not as easy to stain over paint… often sanding/stripping is required.
Personally, I’m the opposite.I usually paint first and then stain. I have a pretty steady hand and often don’t bother covering up the finished surface before starting the next…. I must like living on the edge 😉 … but I’m sure it will bite me in the you-know-what one of these days.
Whichever you decide to do first, it’s important to wait until the surface is THOROUGHLY dry before masking off and covering upthe finished area. You don’t want to mar a perfectly stained top by covering it up too soon.
3. WHY DO IHAVE BUBBLES IN MY STAIN?
This could be two reasons;first, for oil or water based stains, pigments settle to the bottom of the can so mixing is required before use. It’s super important not to shake the can when mixing because it will cause bubbles or froth. Then when you dip your brush and start staining, bubbles can disrupt an even application. It’s better to stir gently yet thoroughly before usingso no additional air gets added to yourstain. The second reason could be in the application. Sometimes using a foam brush can lead to bubbles when applying the stain.
4. DO I APPLY STAIN WITH A BRUSH OR RAG?
I prefer using a rag or shop cloth for Gel Stains, and a natural bristlebrush for traditional ‘watery-type’ stains. I find more watery stains tend to sink into the wood nicely on their own, where as gel stains benefit from being rubbing into the wood. Having said this, it’sall personal preference so I’d encourage you to try both and see what works for you.
5. WHY SHOULD I TEST?
If you want an exact shade/color, it’s a good idea to test your stain in an inconspicuous area of your furniture {or scrap piece of identical wood if you have one}. Why? The final color will always vary slightly from what you see on the can depending on what type of wood is being stained. For instance, a walnut stain will look somewhatdifferent on walnut wood thenit willon pine. Make sure you LIKEwhat you see before diving in to your entire project.
6. DO I NEED WOOD CONDITIONER?
Maybe, maybe not. This depends on the type of wood and the final look you desire. Let’s start with the wood. Pine is notoriously known for blotchy stain finishes. With pine, theknots and varying softer areas accept the stain differently which can leave a blotchy stain job. Pine will definitely benefit from a wood conditioner to provide a more even toned stain. Now let’s talk ‘look’. When restylingprimitive looking furniture, I want them to lookwell loved. Because a perfectly stained top isn’t needed for these pieces, I often skip the wood conditioner and let the outcome surprise me. If you’re okay with slight variations, wood conditioner is not needed.
7. DO I WIPE THE STAIN OFF – OR LET IT SINK IN?
Okay funny story. When I first started working with stains, I brushed my stain onto atable top and waited for it to ‘naturally’ sink in. Hours later, Iwondered why it wasn’t dry? You can even see the over application of stain in the pic below. Here’s the thing, once you apply your stain, it needs to be wiped off in the direction of the grain. This applies to all types of stain! Stain is meant to be absorbed by the wood, it’s not meant to sit on top of the wood. For a lighter effect, you can wipe off right after applying it. For a darker effect, you can leave the stain on for a short period of time(read label – it should help you determine the time) and then wipe.
8. DO I NEED TO TOPCOAT STAIN?
Whether you use oil or water based stains, these stains add gorgeous color but they DO NOT provide anyprotection. {Note – Unless you buy a brand that specifies topcoatand stain in one.} A sealant or topcoat is a MUSTto protect the wood from spills, dirt and oils. You can protect a stained surface with wax, polyurethane (may cause yellowing over time), polycrylic, shellacorvarnish.Just be sure your topcoat is compatible with your stain. Note ~ A water based finish can be added on an oil based stain if sufficient dry time has been allowed. I would wait a good few days.
9. MY STAIN IS NOT AS DARK AS I WANT IT?
If your first coat of stain is not the rich dark color you envisioned– wait until fully dry and then re-stain! I find a good few coats of stain is oftenrequired to achieve the look I’m after.
10. CAN I MIX STAIN COLORS?
I’ve mixed stains to get a desired look. I haven’t tried mixing directly in the can yet (but you definitely can!) It’s probably a good idea to use the same brand and be sure to write down your recipe in case you need more! What I usually do is apply two different stains directly on my furniture. I start by applying a the lighterstain first. Let dry. And then apply my darker stain. I’ve used a warm oakunder a java to warm it up. I’ve also used lighter stains, not liked the look – and then stained over with a darker stain. Both are easy enough to do so long as you’re working with the same type of stain ie. water based with water based or oil with oil.
WHAT SAFETY/PROTECTION IS NEEDED?
Although this last tipisnot at all exciting (so it’san add-on to my10), it does need to be said. Protective eye-wear, gloves, old clothes and a well ventilated area is recommended when working with any type of stain. Stain is heavy duty enough to permanently stain woodsoit WILL stain everything else in it’s path. Always work safemy friends!
Before I sign offtoday, I just want to thank everyone for the warm response I received on Facebook last week. I forgot to do that on Friday’s post… I’ve been so distracted! You were allso generous in sharing your personal stories and support on care-giving for an elderly parent(s). Thank you! Your support and understanding meanmore than you know! x
Feel free to sharesome of your tips and ideas on staining wood furniture ….leave a comment below. Or if you have any questions… ask away!
Catch last week’sQ-T-T here– and ifYOU have any tips you’d like featured on theSI Quick-Tip-Tuesday-Series, feel free to send me an email!
Have a great day and happy staining!
Denise x
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