Staining wood?

[alwaysinshorts]

I can build almost anything out of wood but when it comes to staining I think a 5year old can do a better job. I have a stand that is going into my office at work that I want to stain. It is made of maple with a birch back that was purchased with a high gloss finish already on the birch. The maple is however unfinished.


Please help me!!! What do I need to do and how can I make it look good? I have watched 40 or so videos on YouTube and they all seem easy but they are no different that what I have done in the past and the stain and finish are always terrible. Please help!!!

[Hix]

Wipe on even. Let sit and wipe off with clean rag reapply to darken. . Spray top coat urethane and sand in between coats.

[alwaysinshorts]

I have done just that and the look is never good. Any other tips?

[Lazyman]

You need to use a wood conditioner first..It will help even out the stain..It still may not be 100% uniform but it should make it a lot better..

[masonred]

wood conditioner!!
Have a test piece, see how the wood responds on the back or if you have a scrap when you make it. When testing wipe on heavy and time when you wipe excess stain off in sections, 1st immediately, then 30 seconds and judge for another 30 seconds or a minute. Depending on stain color desired etc you might wipe off as soon as applied or wait 5 minutes. Good luck and finish is the part of projects I don't enjoy.

[Razorback01]

I'd also recommend trying a different type of stain. I've had better results with a water based stain.

[Texastaxi]

If I want say, a dark walnut stain ... I build the piece out of walnut!

IMO, staining looks cheap, and I'm not good at it either.
I have a cabinet full of stain, but I haven't used any in years.

[tbeak]

If I want say, a dark walnut stain ... I build the piece out of walnut!

IMO, staining looks cheap, and I'm not good at it either.
I have a cabinet full of stain, but I haven't used any in years.

What's your flavor then? Just a clear coat?

[WItoTX]

Sand it all first. You will find the thing probably has nicks all over it. Then wipe the entire piece down with paint thinner to clean/make sure all the grain looks good, then let dry, then stain as mentioned above.

Personally, I brush poly. But if you have access to an air compressor, spray it. Just make sure you cover everything.

[Texastaxi]

What's your flavor then? Just a clear coat?

I typically spray 3 or 4 coats of Deft Brushing Lacquer, in satin; sanding with 600 grit between first and second coats.

If I need something more durable, I'll do the same with Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac.

So yes, just a clear sealer/top coat.

[XBOW STALKER]

Maple is tough it doesn't take the stain evenly. The conditioner is goin to be your best bet.

[kribbz]

x3, 4 or 10 on the conditioner. That stuff rocks. But you will get some inconsistency in the stain.

I'm with Texastaxi, if you want it to be nice and uniform use whatever wood your trying to "stain" the wood to look like. Then just some clear coats and you have a beautiful piece.

[bdchorn]

IMO a lot of people screw up the staining process by not doing what I would call a complete sanding process. After you have it sanded the way you want it, go over it with a damp rag. The water will raise the wood fibers and you can go over it a gain with a fine paper to make the surface smooth as glass.

Not sure why but stain always looks better when I take this extra step in my sanding process.

[jlp04c]

another note on staining.. Especially for craft stuff:
When you are sanding, sand the face grain to whatever your desired smoothness for the piece (say 220 grit) then sand the edge/end grains one step higher (320 grit). this will uniform the grain and the stain wont be darker etc on the the edges. I am with others though, I've gotten to where I only apply clear coats, or rubbed oil finishes, and make the piece out of the color I want it to be.

[alwaysinshorts]

all good advice. I will start the sanding process this weekend. I should be done with it this weekend also. I will also start to test some of the scrap wood that i have with various colors that i like. And because this is going to hold up a fish tank i will end up putting Bulls Eye Shellac as i have a large can of it still from other projects.

I would like to spray the stain and the shellac on if at all possible. I have a 30 gallon compressor so it isn't the 5 foot talk one that you can run power tools on. Will this be large enough to spray with? I have actually tried it in the past as i bought a cheap can but it didn't really look good and to be honest i don't know if the spray was correct or not.

What do you guys suggest with regards to the proper sprayer? i know that spraying would not only give me a more even coat but also be much quicker. And to be honest i am all about being quick which is probably why my previous staining looks like crap.