Tips For Staining Timber

Wood is a material that is beautiful and loaded with character. Antique wood, whether it is hard or soft wood gains its beauty from the patina that generates on the timber over time, which brand-new wood doesn’t have. When you are dealing with wood furniture the best and most cost effective way to make more visually appealing is to stain the wood.

Staining your timber is done for different reasons. When stain is used properly it can highlight the grain in the wood, bringing out the character. Stain can make common timbers look like rare, expensive timber and make new wood look like it’s very dated.  Stain can help to restore colour to areas of wood than have been bleached, deepen the colour of your wood or change the tones. Even cheap pieces of timber furniture can be made to look beautiful with the right furniture oil stain.

Staining Wood
Now before you go ahead and stain any type of wood furniture see if the type of wood can be identified. Maple, rosewood, cherry, aged pine and mahogany are all rare wood, as such these types look better in their normal, natural state. If you have light wood with a grain that is mostly undistinguishable then you could benefit from staining your wood. Birch, ash, gum, beech and new pine are often stained before they are finished. Woods like oak work either being stained or left alone in their natural state.

If you’re unaware or wondering how to stain a deck or if you really aren’t sure you want to stain the wood, consider testing on a part you cannot see like underneath to see if you like the outcome. Some people leave the stain as the last coat while others like to apply a clear coat of varnish or lacquer to finish the piece off. When using a product on the top, know that it will darken the wood and bring out the grain.  It is best to know what sort of wood you are working with as it will be easier to choose the stain that will look and work best with that wood. There are many different types that you can go for.

How do you get stain off wood?
If you have stained something and are simply not happy with it because the colour isn’t right or it doesn’t look how you thought it would, what can be done? Unfortunately stains penetrate past the surface which means they cannot be removed except by sanding the wood back again to get rid of it. 

The stain looks too dark or thick.
If you have tested the stain and it looks too dark for what you want, then consider swapping it for another colour or even go for just a clear coat of wood stain. If you have already stained the wood, don’t worry as stains lighten with age. If you really don’t like it, you can sand it back with a finer grit sandpaper for a smoother finish. Smoother wood will take in less stain so once it is dried it will appear lighter. Just make sure not to overstain as this can lead to closing the wood which means it will take the stain. If after applying your stain it seems too thick you can use paint thinner on a clean cloth and wipe it over the area going with the grain. This will help thin out the wood stain.

Staining your wood can significantly improve the aesthetic appeal of your decking or timber furniture. Make sure you research what kind of timber you have and what kind of stain would be most appropriate before applying any kind of stain.