How to stain wood LIKE A PRO! Pine wood staining tips and tricks
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Tired of your wood stain coming out all blotchy. This product will help take your woodworking projects to the next level and help you stain wood like a pro. pine wood staining tips and tricks
Buy Here
MINWAX Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner amzn.to/2Rn03I1
#howtostainwood
#Blotchywoodstain
#woodstainingtips
#stainingpinewood
Just my two cents. Generally most professionals will not use a wood conditioners since it does not give the results you may think it does on certain species. In terms of staining certain species where the end result is blotchy, water popping is the solution. As a hardwood floor contractor we stain jobs that are anywhere from a couple hundred square feet to a couple thousand feet and more. The last thing we or our clients want would be to have their final product be blotchy. What is water popping some may ask. Whatever your project may be weather a table top or a couple thousand feet of wood flooring your sand job must be done correctly. I'll speak in terms of a wood floor. Although the process for all projects are the same. Once we are done sanding a wood floor and ready to apply a stain, we water pop the floor first. Literally we are on our hands and knees with a 5 gallon bucket of water and a car wash sponge washing the floor. Not flooding the floor with water. Simply washing the floor. That then sits over night which once it dries also raises and swells the grain of the wood. Then we stain over the water popped floor. We then allow the stain to dry. The following day we begin our polyurethane process. If you touch the project after you water pop it and after you stain it, it will be rough in texture. This is normal since the process has raised and swollen the grain of the wood which is the intent. Some abrade the stain after it's applied and dried with a maroon pad. Most wait to knock the grain raise down by abrading their first coat of finish. In our case polyurethane. A couple of the more bitchy species to stain would be the tight grain hardwood lumbers such as birch and maple ETC. Staining maple is like shooting a BB gun at a freight train. Stain a maple floor without water popping and uneven, blotchy results is what you will yield. Water pop it, let it dry over night then stain and a nice even color is what you end up with. For those who read this and do it there are two simple keys you must do for success. 1) Wash the project, don't flood it. 2) The water popping process must dry over night. For those who have a moisture meter it's best to take a moisture reading before water popping, and after water popping to ensure all the water has evaporated where the moisture content of the lumber is the same after you water popped as it was before you water popped. As a side note just know that water popping will give the color much more depth. In many cases it also will be a shade or so darker.
Thank you gentleman!
I took all notes
Thanks. I'm about to try it
You're right. The water is the best way , but if you do use the wood conditioner on small projects , like I use to , you apply it against the grain . Not with the grain like this guy's video .
You wipe it off using a wiping cloth , going with the grain .
The water popping does bring a deeper stain . I had to apply 2 coats of stain when I used the wood conditioner vs. the water .
Thanks for the comment .
You seem to know your stuff. I have a piece of scrap wood that was from an old table that belonged to my great grandad. My Grandaddy let me have it after he had sanded it and everything when he was clearing out his shed and trying to throw things out. I have no idea what kind of wood it is, I just know it WAS like a reddish color before he sanded it.
I had an entire novel typed out of everything I’ve done to this little experiment slab I have, but my phone did the whole “select all, cut” thing and I’m so mad.
Anyways, every time I sand it, or strip it, or clean it, even if it’s dry… these little dots come up. At first I thought it was moisture but it doesn’t evaporate. I don’t think it’s sap. It has almost an oily consistency.
I guess from the supposed era it was from, it could be mahogany because that’s what was popular at the time. I’m not planning on doing anything other than messing with it and testing things on it. But I’ve used a conditioner pre stain stripper… you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve used a colored wash, a poly-stain, a gel stain, oils, stain then poly, EVERYTHING.
Every single time, it comes out so blotchy that it looks like a child did it. No matter what application technique I used. I have no idea what kind of wood it is. I haven’t found anything online about what woods just weep oily little dots.
So, if I actually needed to to do something with this little table top, and I came across this same mystery wood/problem, do you think something as simple as “ water plopping” could help?
I’m just baffled at this thing and I don’t know if I’ll ever figure out what species it is. But I’ve never really worked with refurbishing or experimenting with a single mahogany piece this big so I guess if mahogany is like this then it all makes sense. Would that be a species that you would water plop?
What temperature is the water when you do it?
I’ve tried to find forums and posted a couple of times on Reddit about it but I’ve gotten no helpful info. I’ve also talked about it to every old man in the hardware store here. (I don’t think they really take me seriously and literally just suggest I do something easier like chalk paint and distress it. I’m assuming it’s because I’m a petite young woman and look like the kind of person who is into doing that. But my Grandaddy was a carpenter and made furniture, houses, chapels, cabinets, flooring… You name it. And I’ve been working with him on all of those things almost my entire life until he passed away in 2019 and I carry on his work as a hobby and sometimes extra income).
Like I mentioned though, I’m not ever making anything out of this. I planned on just using it to test things or let my daughter paint on it to keep her entertained while I’m working on something else.
But I can’t even get a decent test area and now I’m just determined to figure it out.
Sorry for the long reply 9 months later! I thought you might be my chance to maybe get some solid input or advice! It’s not a huge deal, more like an unsolved mystery I’ve accepted I’ll never solve haha. But it would be nice to find something that worked just in case I ever do come across this same issue on a custom piece in the future!
Hope you all had a lovely holiday season and happy new year! Thanks for reading!
When you think staining is the hard part but the actual hard part is the sanding😂😂
This hahha
I’ve been sanding for 10 long ass years these past 3 days 😭😭
Omg yes!!!
@@ashleyh4509 lol
Reading my freaking mind lol
Dude, stain in long continuous strokes with the grain. You get the blotchiness from just rubbing the foam brush all over the place in random directions
Ive been a professional wood worker for 50 years. Lots of experience with stain and lacquer. Conditioner is not as necessary on hardwoods as it is on pine or other softwoods. Try a sample piece and make sure to sand everything well before staining. If you are using an oil based stain such as min wax or watco, be sure to soak all stain rags, disposable sponge brushes etc. in water before disposal. These stains have a tendency to self combust. You could save your shop by being careful. Good luck
Is there anything you can do to increase the absorbency of the wood if you want to stain really dark?
@@jamesmcinnis208 darker stain or multiple coats
@@90mphsleep How does a darker stain or multiple coats increase the absorbency of the wood?
@@jamesmcinnis208 it doesn't. If you want it to be darker, use a darker stain or multiple coats. Or use a different wood in the first place
@@90mphsleep So you didn't understand my question or don't know the answer. It's blatantly obvious that if you want something darker you can use multiple coats or use a darker stain or more absorbent wood. If you don't know the answer to my question then there's no point in you responding to a question I didn't ask and wasting my time.
I was just about to stain my bench but now I just must go get some pre-stain conditioner And I'll use a rag instead of the brush, Thank You
Good luck Sandy!
M
You can use shellac too
Sameeeee haha
Thanks you saved my upcoming project from botches. However, that means another trip to the hardware store.
Lol, your welcome and sorry haha
"It aint nice liike" Got a like just for that! 😁
Haha, thanks bro...that's real nice like!
Real nasss like 😂
Confusing video because of constant rotation of the wood. Keep your test product oriented to one side.
Huh? Did I miss something? Did you flip the wood? You conditioned the right side of the wood square and the left (unconditioned) side comes out better both with the brush and rag. Or did I miss you switching sides?
I'm here because of home quarantine 🤦♂️😂
Lol, me too👊
@@ToolReviewZone Gonna refinish my tables while I'm off work.
@@ripp846 good luck ripp!👊
Same lol
do whatever government says, good girls smh
Nice comparison demo. I use the pre-stain and although it does greatly reduce the blotching, it really doesn't eliminate it all. I'm a beginner so all I buy right now is the big box store cheap pine and it is easy to work and cut but really hard to finish.
Pretty much everyone advises to use the pre-conditioner before staining but honestly, I think it looks worse on every test piece I've ever tried it on. For me, the key to reducing or preventing splotchiness is proper sanding. It's easy to think you don't need to sand because "it's smooth enough" or whatever but stain makes everything "pop" and there are often hidden scratches and saw marks that really pop when you apply the stain. Sand those out beforehand and you will avoid most of the blotchiness without having to use a conditioner.
Water pop your project.
Wrong. Use conditioner. Sanding doesn't replace conditioner. Not even close.
Thank u so much for the tip. Saved e time and money.. Working on my first project utilizing stain for the first time👌
@@levigivens really?
@@samwright285 sanding helps but I learned the hard way, you WILL have blotches without prestain. An extra $8 for conditioner will save you from ruining your project which took hours of work.
I've found that you get basically no blotchiness whatsoever if you hit pine really hard with the pre-stain. And by that, I mean putting it on as sloppy and wet as possible, letting it sit for a few minutes, wiping off the excess, then staining a half out later. I never get any blotchiness anymore by basically drenching the wood with the pre-stain.
Is it necessary to pre-stain pine that's already treated but needs a refresh? I plan to lightly sand an old pine cupboard and apply a fresh coat of stain. Do I need to pre-stain?
Nice demonstration, but please don't rotate the wood in the middle of the comparison....very confusing. This could be improved during editing by adding some overlay text to more clearly indicate which is which.
srs? confusing? how old are you? 10? Jesus Christ.
@@kasparsjansons9220 it is confusing when you are speed running videos to finish your project!
Kaspars Jansons damn dawg chill lol
I was gonna reply same thing cause it threw me off, I mean you don’t have to be 10 to think that the project wood on the video (especially when you are “comparing” two sides of a piece of wood) that they don’t get flipped to opposite sides in the middle of tutorial, totally threw me off and I consider myself pretty intelligent. I mean why would you do that? But I did appreciate the tutorial and it got the point across, use conditioner and use a rag on pine.
@@sghrigsby1 Looks like we have Americans on our hands. I've also speed run my projects, but goddman, this is not a rocket science. He even shows both sides of the board before they are stained. How much more straight forward can he get? Only Americans would ask for adding overlay text. I didn't mean to belittle someone, but these comments are sad.
THANK YOU! I’m a wood staining newby, as I’m redoing my kitchen cabinets diy style. This tutorial was extremely helpful! Question: for kitchen cabinets would you recommend oil or water based stain?
Hi Angie! I would 100% recommend the oil base stain. Water base just never looks good to me and does not look as good. Not to mention that the oil base will hold up much better after a lot of the using and abusing over time. Hope this helps!
Tool Review Zone thank you! I’ve already done 2 cabinet doors - stripped the white paint off, sanded, and applied wood conditioner and stain - and they look great!
Why am I watching this at 2am in the morning.... WAIT HOW DID I GET HERE?!
LOL I'm watching this at 4:01am I have no clue how I got here!
We both are the same everything is weird
The rabbit hole.
5:13 am July 12. Been up all night looking for ideas to stain mdf. Working on a subwoofer enclosure.
It’s 2AM here, too...we’re just crazy
Looks good.
Why color stain did you use?
I'm looking for a slightly darker stain color for some pine wood shelves.
You have to sand that wood down... If you don't sand it, then yeah. It's gonna look like shit everytime~
Appreciate the information but in the end in my opinion none of the panels that you did look particularly well I think part of the success of staining is picking wood that looks good visually while unfinished and not containing elements that will stick out like a sore thumb after stain
I think I’m in the .01% of the population who low key likes the not-pre-stained look 😂
Its all in what you like 👊
Right? About to set up shelves in my husband's office and he prefers the uneven look. Also he wants aqua colored stain. What he wants, he gets!
The biggest problem is that people who have done this before will think you just didn't know how to stain. The point in stain is to make it look natural. So if you like the "unnatural" look, it will look like a mistake. BUT, it IS whatever you like so do what makes you happy.
WHAT? you must be flipping the wood half way through because the conditioned side (right side) look VERY blotchy compared to the left. ???
3:44, yea, you did flip it.
After you sanded the wood... Did you Wipe with a TACK Cloth???
Did you SAND this before you stained it???
Big difference...
Not blotchy, but not reached the desired color.
I was just about to stain my bathroom door but decided to look for a staining video just in case someone had an interesting trick or two. I love this idea and am going to order it before I even consider touching my door. Thank you!
Awesome, and thanks for the comment Maria!!!
1:35-I noticed that it was almost like a liquid right off. JK. Never heard of this, will be getting some tomorrow for a Minwax Gunstock 231 table stain project.!
Jeez did I get lucky! I was just about to stain a blanket ladder I built for my fiance before I figured I should watch a how to video first.
Of course the only things I had were the stain and a FOAM BRUSH haha. Guess I'm going back to the hardware store for conditioner and rags!
You saved my project. Thank you!
Glad it helped Will!
The ladder turned out great! The color was exactly what we were going for and not a single smudge thanks to your advice. Thanks again. Cheers.
That's awesome Will!!! Thanks so much for letting me know 👊
I used the pre stain on pine. It looks like it absorbed pretty quickly. After the first coat dries should I apply another coat to it and wipe off the excess?
Yep 👊
Was the timber sanded before you stained it, a lot of the blotchiness comes from rougher parts soaking in more stain quicker, whereas a good even sand will reduce most of that.
Great comment! The pre-stain would seem to prevent the stain from going deep into the porous wood and bringing out the grain design itself
Love this product. I have never sanded/stained before. But, our front door was a disaster after 30 years and my 90 yr/old. He told me “only use Minwax” and this popped up on Amazon when I googled. Needless to say, the door looks great. Can’t say enough about how this product goes on, I used a brush, and the tone was great. I added 2 Coates with Minwax gel stain and amazing. Came here looking for sanding after staining tips and found your video.
I am mechicanially declined and have never dont any wood working at all, let alone sanding and staining. It turned out fantastic.
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback GeophysGal!!!
Im here for school😢
Lol moist
I just started using this product on some basswood picture frames I've been making. The problem with color difference was pretty substantial. After using the pre stain the colors were much more consistent. I have always used minwax but I bought a small can of rust oleum dark walnut stain. The rust oleum looks more like walnut on the basswood than the minwax dark walnut. I really like the rust oleum stain.
This bodes well for my relatively unresearched stain choice for my maple fireplace mantle :D. Go Rust-Oh go!
Never used pre stain, always sanded the wood then used a rag for staining (never use a brush!) Never had the issues he demonstrated.
What do you sand up too?
@@Grumplefut to whatever is needed to achieve a perfect smooth finish, as long its soft and free of any scratches and so on
Thank you. I had the minwax, but didn't know about using a rag instead of a brush. Great save.
I was really trying to avoid the conditioning step on the 60 T&G boards I'm about to tackle, but staring at a splotchy ceiling until I die sounds worse than one extra step. No time for laziness: Tongue and groove is expensive! Thanks for the video!
That's definitely a factor. I get impatient and hate waiting for stuff to dry but you're right, one day of waiting to make it look better for the next 60 years is definitely worth it.
My current nightmare. Except it’s 86 boards of Redwood T&G. Wish I was here sooner.
So which was better, brush or wipe? I didn't see much difference.
We did the pre-conditioning staining and the sanding and it still doesn't look right? The wood got rougher - would you recommend painting on this wood rather than staining?
This randomly popped up on my feed and I'm very positive you're from the Pittsburgh area.
Haha, yes sir I am
@@ToolReviewZone Review Pants'n'at next. :)
Haha I commented the SAME THING up air ⬆️
Why did you keep rotating the board around? Come on man !
Nice video, the pre stain wood conditioner makes a huge difference to me, remember to let it do it’s job for at least 15 minutes and under 2 hours, I get beautiful results every time
So glad I saw this! I am staining my walls and it looks horrible. Now I know!!
Mineral spirits will work just as well. Probably cheaper to. Lol. Agree rag works the best for control.
in the second round, where he used a cloth for everything other the pre conditioner..I felt like the difference was just barely noticeable other than being significantly darker on the side that did not have pre conditioner..right? But noticeable. So if I go back over the pre conditioned, stained, and then add another layer of stain. how long should i wait to apply second layer of stain to get darker?/will it make it much darker?
FIRST of all CAN WE JUST READ THE DANG DIRECTIONS for this stain !!?? It says to " sand the surface to 220 grit then apply pre-stain (especially on softwood like pine)". Wait ~15 minutes for it to cure. Then apply stain with a rag and LET IT SIT BETWEEN 5-15 MINUTES depending on the desired darkness. Wipe off/buff with a clean rag. " The critical part here is letting the stain set in for at least 5 minutes. And applying with a rag prevents brushstrokes from appearing. ALWAYS do a sample test on the wood-scraps you have from the build or at the very least the same type of wood. Mine came out flawlessly on an expensive desk build. I finished by testing minwax wax finish against minwax poly and the wax turned out nicer. The end product is beautiful. So, read the darn directions on each product first. It's not rocket science.
Well i guess i gotta make another trip to home depot
Haha, sorry Ray
PLEEEEASE! Just stop saying "MOIST!" :-)
🤣👊👊
@@ToolReviewZone Ok, I'm over the worst of the trauma now..I think ;-) Are there any alternatives to the "pre stain conditioner"? I'm really struggling to find it here in the UK, the only product on Amazon UK is shipped from the US with heavy postage. All I can find is "sanding sealer"? I'd be grateful for any advice. All the best my mate.
Stop rotating the piece after application, it's confusing. This is just a marketing video for pre stain. Stain 101: Apply stain WITH THE GRAIN! Sanding solves alot of problems
Crazy how EVERYONE from this region of the country (I’m guessing OH or PA) has declared war on the letter “L”.
Sound it out, fa La La La La La La La Laaaa.
Not, fa wa wA wA wA wA wA wA waaaaa.
4:59 I don't know which side is which 🙈
Do you have any tips to fill in oversanded areas where the color has changed ? Im hoping to "patch" the color to avoid sanding the rest of the table down to the bare wood to match. Any info helps
Nah. Garbage. One. Pine is for forms and garage furniture. Two. Minwax type is garbage. I use alcohol based tints generally on cenizaro, guanacaste and cedar, oil on others(oily woods)
If you don't have the pre-stain, it already looks a lot better by using a rag, not a brush, but the pre-stain is definitely the killer ingredient.
Commentary is the best!
Thanks for the vid!
Well. You can’t stain wood like a pro using minwax. I’m a pro. Minwax is for DIY hacks.
If you've got nothing else, then the Minwax pre-stain helps a little bit with blotching. IMO, however, a few wash coats of waxless shellac (1/2 pound mix) works a lot better and can be used with almost any stain, varnish or paint.
When staining, What rag should be used? Should there be one rag for application and one rag for wiping
Good comparison, i'm convinced. About to redo a tabletop, and was looking for techniques. I appreciate it!
Let me know how it turns out!
Stop rotating the fucking board when doing comparisons. Jeez man lmao
So because of that mean nasty! I'm rich! We love you!!!! No min!!! Burbon? I have to get out of here!
Thank you for your advice. My husband had bought pre stain conditioner and I grabbed it after your video and it worked great!
Awesome!!!!! Thanks for letting me know Mama👊👊👊
The only way you can say the pre-conditioned side looks "good" is to compare it to the horrible non treated side. Both are catastrophic results for something you've spent time on.
That Honey 272 stuff, is it safe for me to assume that that's an American brand? Does anyone in thr comments section where I could get some in the UK?
First 5 seconds of the video gave me 90s toy commercial PTSD
Does durable paper towel work instead of a rag? What are other options besides a rag? Old kitchen hand towels?
Dammit, now i'm pissed! I already stained my wood for the first not knowing about this Pre-stain stuff or the protection afterwards
Same lol. 2 coats in already. Instructions said use a wood conditioner for soft wood, but we didn't have any. It's ok, it was my first project!
@@MeKressman mines too and I didn't cover it and the weather got it peeling now
The instructions on my can of stain say to first apply against the grain, then to immediately apply with the grain before wiping everything off. I noticed that your not doing that.
The problem with pre-stains is that it makes it very difficult to get a dark stain. You can first wet the wood to open the grain, let it dry, then give it a light sanding to set the grain. Finally, pre-stain and then stain.
I actually find that using de-waxed shellac is a better pre-stain. Use Zinsser "Seal Coat", which is a 2 pound cut, and dilute it about 3 to one with alcohol. It is then used similar to other oil based sealers. Flood it on and wipe it off.
If you are trying to get really dark, consider changing to a dye stain, rather than a pigmented stain. You will probably have to go to a woodworkers store to find them. The "big box" storea and most paint stores will not have them.
Well, it looks like from the video he got a much darker stain
Washcoat pre-stain necessity that's how you know how long I've been doing it I did not mention it at all
"So mad, grrr"
so am I, but you could just sand it off and start over.
Is it necessary to pre-stain wood that's already treated but needs a refresh? I plan to lightly sand an old pine cupboard and apply a fresh coat of stain. Do I need to pre-stain?
I couldn’t follow what dude was what after you stained. Was it one board or 2 different?
I wish I watched this a long time ago:/ I want to do it this way but I’m doing it to a door right next to one already finished and if I do it this way they won’t match😫🤦🏼♂️ as you can see one side is so much darker then the other..
Why didn't I watch this last night ! I bought a pine plant stand and it sucked up so much stain I can't believe it. Started with a small half can that wasn't enough so I went and bought another small can and can u believe that wasn't enough either lol I have stained lots of stuff but not pine I know it's not the greatest wood so rand back and bought a large can this time and I've used a third of the can but I want to see it in the morning!
Alright, soo...I need a small tip. I’m trying to make a small decorative dice box (I’m an Dnd player), and it’s made of cheap balsa wood. I’m trying to get a nice finish out of a cheap product, lol. I tried once before, but I may have applied way too much stain, as the box had an extremely pungent scene after 2 weeks. Any tips on how to apply the wood stain and get the scent out? Thanks.
*scent, not scene 😂
Alright....after further inspection, it’s not balsa wood...don’t know why I said balsa wood tbh 🤦🏻♂️ It is still just a cheap wood box you can get at a craft store, though.
I thought you are supposed to let the stain soak for 5 to 15 minutes and then rub it with a cloth. That's what the can states.
That doesnt look good at all ... i mean its better than the non pre stained one of course but still very blotchy
Thanks 🙏 for you help! You’re amazing!
God bless!
Not a fun of penetrating stain. On my opinion though the prestain helped...the wood still looked blotchy to me. Id rather use the varathane one hour stain...requires no prestain it says on the can and ive never had any blotchy marks on my wood when I use this. Great video
Thanks
The best I have seen as you show a bit and then fast forward. I can not stand real time.
Sometimes they draw it out
@@ToolReviewZone Wait, really?
This guy cracks me up
Only thing is I noticed with using a rag or shit/ cloth the stain come out lighter than the brush
Honestly... I like the blotchiness better. It's more heterogeneous.
Do it right, do it once. Don’t complain about extra steps.
This is a super bias test. Why wouldn’t you apply the stain to both sides at the same time?
Ah yes. The I have to go back to the store cuzz I just watched your video feeling. Like your explanation of things.
Thanks for the comment Foxtrot!!
Thanks so much for the video. It was really helpful. And thanks for not giving us all the detail on the history of wood staining and when it was invented and who invented it.
Very quick and informative video. Thanks a lot.
I am remodeling my studio and chose to paint and stain my new work benches myself (for some reason I thought I was smart) thank you for this real nas like video. It was very informative
No I was always told with stain you always use a natural bristle brush not foam
Really bugged me you missed the corner lol
Haha, sorry
Prestain looks like it lightens the satin. Compare to the pic on the can.
I bet the negative reviews are because he said moist several times. In all seriousness, this was a very helpful video!
Not only informative, but very funny! Thank you!
Thanks Grieving!!!
There is still some blotchiness but something is better than nothing.
I like your Pittsburgh accent!
You need to learn how to apply stain with a brush an that wouldnt happen
Thank you! I'm going to do this for my shelves.
Let me know how it works out 👊
i'm experimenting with a 1:3 poly/odorless paint thinner mix that seems to penetrate about 5mm into the wood with one very light wiping coat, specifically for pine. the mixture ends up a good deal thinner than typical wipe on poly. this mix has performed extremely well so far, and it's something most people should already have around the shop, so i'd suggest people give it a try on a test piece to see if they like the results.