Wood stain are used to change the color of the wood. Furthermore, wood stain is used to reveal the grain pattern within the wood. Wood stain dont hides the wood; instead, it makes the characteristics of the wood more visibly.
You must purchase an wood stain that will work with the type of wood you are using. Different types of wood will react differently to wood stain. There is several different tone families for wood stain.
How to Pick and Use Wood Stain
Each of these tone families will give the stained wood a different visual effect. Light natural wood stain will give the appearance of bright and airy wood. Light natural stains is best used for wood that needs to appear bright within the room.
Additionally, natural wood stains will allow the knot and rays within the wood to be visible. Medium tones, such as golden oak or cherry red, will add more depth to the natural tones of the wood while still allowing it to be used in an everyday home. Dark wood stains, such as espresso or jacobean, will give the stained wood a dramatic appearance.
These stain work well to hide flaws in the stained wood. Lastly, gray wood stains will give the stained wood an appearance of weathered or coastal wood. Gray wood stains provide a moddern look to the wood without utilizing brown tone.
The species of wood can react differently to wood stain. Wood species are not blank slate for wood stain. For instance, pine absorbs wood stain very quick but can become blotchy if preconditioner isnt used prior to staining.
Hardwoods like oak absorb wood stain well due to the open pore in the wood. Other woods, like maple and birch, will stay pale after staining so multiple coat of wood stain will be needed to deepen the color of the wood. There are several different types of wood stain available.
Depending on your need, you can purchase a different type of wood stain. Oil-based wood stain penetrate the wood deeper than water-based wood stains but will take longer to dry. Water-based wood stain dry quickly but may not provide as much depth to the wood as oil-based stains.
Additionally, gel wood stain is thicker and remains in place on vertical piece of wood since the stain wont drip off the stained wood. The number of coats of wood stain that you use will determine the darkness of the stained wood. One coat of wood stain will provide a light tint to the wood.
Two coats will yield a medium tint while three coat will deepen the color of the stained wood. Always test the wood stain on a scrap piece of the same type of wood before staining your project. Wood stain can be applied with a brush, a rag, or a sprayer.
After staining the wood, you must apply a topcoat to protect the stained wood. Use a matte topcoat for dark stained wood, a satin finish for medium stained wood, and a gloss topcoat for light stained wood. Wood stain will even react different than different woods so it is essential to properly prepare the wood prior to staining.
Sand the wood until it is smooth; sand it to a 220 grit smoothness. Additionally, use a preconditioner on any type of wood that is known to blotch when stained; examples of such wood include pine. Wood stain will need to dry after you apply each coat to the wood.
Following these step will ensure that the stained wood eveningly features the grain of the wood clear.
