A Little Help with Staining Wood

Many times, people can enjoy wood in its natural state and beauty but sometimes that doesn't match the surrounding colors. Therefore, staining wood can be so essential in protecting the wood surface blending in with the colors around it.  In addition to matching other colors they highlight the grains of the wood even more breathtaking than before.


 
An important step with staining wood is to test all wood surfaces with a little bit of stain since wood in nature can just have such a wide variety.  Give a small test in an inconspicuous part of the wood to make sure it is the desired color.
 
Stains come in a large variety the main types being water or oil based.  Between the two types of stains there are a variety of benefits some caveats.  One of the benefits of an oil stain is it gives you a longer working time and not dry out as quickly and you avoid lap marks and overlapping stain. They will also eliminate the necessity to do more sanding on your staining process.  For water-based stain one of the benefits is being able to complete the job a lot more quickly and you are able to get things done in a day a lot less long than with an oil-based stain. Water based stains are also much easier to clean up, requiring only soap and water to do so.
 
Make sure to follow these application tips if attempting to apply your own stain.  Be sure that your wood has open pores and is already not painted something similar to allow the stain to fully seep into the wood.  be sure to apply a medium grit sandpaper to open the pores of the wood and then use a fine grit sandpaper to finish.  Don't forget to sand in the direction of the grain of the wood for proper sanding.  There are multiple different applicators for your stain including a foam brush a cloth or a bristle brush that all do something uniquely different in applying stain. Find what works best for you and your purposes with staining and use it. Depending on the wood type you will want to apply more stain or less stain. Research which wood types are naturally more or less porous and pick your instrument.
 
Timing is everything with staining. Depending on the duration of time the same as left on the wood will depend on the richness and darkness of the color. Less time will have a lighter color and more time will have a darker color.  Get yourself a gel stain to stain on vertical surfaces it is less likely to drip down and give you a strange consistency for your wood color.
 
Don't forget that staining is simply a method of coloring your wood and not a way of giving it protection. Be sure to cover your wood with a clear coat in order to protect it after staining. Have fun staining your wood adding great color and enhancing the natural look of this fine material. Be sure to check out Minwax for any of your stain needs. They're the best in the business and we're so glad for all their staining help.