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Understanding Stains
Dont let the dizzying
array of choices get you
discombobulated.
popularwoodworking.com
FLEXNER ON FINISHING
before staining. (See Wood Conditioner as xylene and various ketones, which will be sional nishers because there is little waiting
Confusion, October 2005, issue #150, to listed on the cans. between staining and nishing and the stain
understand why the directions on most brands Lacquer stains are difcult to use because can be added to lacquer to make a toner.
dont produce good results.) of their very fast drying. Professionals usually All NGR dyes are packaged in liquid form
Choose a gel stain when staining pine or work in pairs, with one person spraying the and most contain methanol and sometimes
similar soft woods. stain and the other following right behind other toxic solvents. No pigment or binder
wiping off the excess. is included. Some NGR dyes are packaged in
Lacquer Stain Choose a lacquer stain if you are spraying concentrated form and can be thinned with
Lacquer stains use very fast-drying binders and want to reduce the time between staining water, alcohol or lacquer thinner. (If thinned
and solvents. Professional finishers often and nishing, or if you plan to add a colorant with water, they perform closer to the water-
choose these types of stains because the n- to your lacquer. soluble dyes discussed below.)
ish can be applied within approximately 30 Choose an NGR dye stain if you want a
minutes, and the stain can be added to lacquer NGR Dye Stain deeper or more even coloring than can be
to make a toner for adjusting color between NGR stands for non-grain-raising and refers achieved with pigment. Also choose NGR if
coats of nish. to a type of dye thats usually dissolved in very you want to reduce the time between staining
You can identify lacquer stains by the fast evaporating solvents. As with lacquer and nishing or add a dye colorant to lacquer
strong, pungent odor caused by solvents such stains, NGR dyes are favorites with profes- to make a toner.
hard-drying
to wipe off excess You dont need a special property over with a nish
of another stain
Dries hard so doesnt need a topcoat when On small surfaces If wiping off excess, work rapidly or
coating over a stained and nished surface You want to leave excess to build have a second person help
When coating over an already stained
Reduces exposure to solvents Under a water-based nish If wiping off excess, work rapidly or
To avoid exposure to solvents have a second person help
You want easy water cleanup
Eliminates blotching on softwoods such as pine Staining pine or similar softwood Compared to a liquid stain, gel stain
reduces depth on many hardwoods
Dries very rapidly For very fast drying You have to wipe off the excess within a
To make a toner with lacquer minute or two, so it helps to work with
a second person
Colors more uniformly and intensely For very fast drying Spray the stain evenly and leave it, or
than pigment For deeper and more even coloring work with a second person if wiping
than can be achieved with pigment off excess
To make a toner with lacquer
Colors more uniformly and intensely For deeper and more even coloring Brushing a water-based nish over the
than pigment than can be achieved with pigment dye may dissolve and smear it
To avoid exposure to solvents Apply a barrier coat of shellac or varnish
(a washcoat) in between
popularwoodworking.com 93
Flexner on Finishing
by bob flexner
The Basics
The basic rule for getting good results with
any stain is to apply a wet coat and wipe off
the excess before it dries.
You can use any tool rag, brush, paint
pad, roller or spray gun to apply the stain.
You can even dip the object into stain or pour
the stain onto the wood and spread it around.
Its only important that you wipe off all the
excess before the stain dries. Wiping on. The most efficient method of applying stain is to wipe it on using a soaking-wet cloth.
Notice on this stereo cabinet, which was made without a back, Im not having any problem get-
If you let the stain begin to dry in spots
ting the stain into the inside corners.
before wiping off, you will get a type of
blotching that is different from the blotch-
ing caused by uneven densities in woods when you wipe off the excess, you may get brush it, and youre less likely to have color
such as pine, cherry and birch. Youll get a lap marks caused by brushing more stain problems.
blotching caused by thick dry spots of stain over stain that has dried.
next to clean areas where the still-wet stain Brushing is the slowest method of apply- The Exception
wipes off easily. ing stain. So not only might you get blotching There is one exception, however. Brushing
If youre brushing one of the fast drying or lap marks, youre also wasting time. can be more efficient for getting stain into
stains, not only might you cause blotching Its more efficient to wipe stain than to inside corners and other recessed areas.
popularwoodworking.com
Flexner on Finishing
Staining
Wood
A primer on coloring.
are examples of weak dyes. You dont need to use a stain unless easiest to apply because you have plenty
you want to change the color of the wood. of time to wipe off the excess. All the other
Purpose of a Stain If you do apply a stain, you do it before stains dry quickly so you have to work fast
There are three good reasons to use a applying the finish. or on smaller areas at a time.
stain: Drying time. Lacquer stains, and dye
1. Make a cheaper, less interesting Types of Stain stains dissolved in solvent (not water), can
(usually lighter) wood look like a more Common categories of wood stain include be coated over within minutes. Water-
expensive (usually darker) wood such as the following: based stains can be coated over after about
walnut, cherry or mahogany. Oil stain (which thins and cleans up an hour. Gel stains, and dyes dissolved
with mineral spirits). in water, require four to six hours before
Water-based stain (which thins and coating over. Oil stains should be allowed
cleans up with water). overnight drying.
Gel stain (which is thixotropic, like Grain definition. All stains provide
mayonnaise its thick in the can, but can good grain definition if the excess is wiped
be spread and wiped off easily). off, because more colorant is left in the
Dye stain (which is a colorant dis- grain. Dye stains produce slightly less
solved in a liquid). definition than pigment stains.
Combination stain and finish (which Color control. Dye stains provide the
doesnt color as effectively and is streaky best control of color that is, getting the
with brush marks if brushed and not color darker without obscuring the figure
Why stain? One of the principal reasons to stain
wood, especially lighter woods such as this birch wiped off). of the wood. Dye is see-through; you can
plywood, is to make them resemble more desir- Lacquer stain (which is a very fast- apply as many coats as you want and still
able darker woods, in this case walnut. drying stain used by professionals who see the woods figure. Pigment hides.
continued on page 62
Varnish wood conditioners (the com- Stain Application prints seals the wood, which prevents
mon ones found in home centers and paint The basic rule for applying all stains is to stain penetration. Sand or scrape off the
stores) are varnish thinned with about two apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess glue through the stain and restain that
parts mineral spirits (paint thinner). You before the stain dries. Unless the wood area, or leave the splotch and disguise it
is naturally blotch-prone or you havent by painting in the correct coloring after
sanded the wood well enough to remove you have applied a coat of finish.
all gouges and scratches, you will always Stain problems such as blotching and
get an even coloring. getting the color wrong can be extremely
You may need to divide your project difficult to fix. You can usually remove
into smaller sections or have a second per- some of the color by wiping with the thin-
son wipe as you apply to get good results ner for the stain. If the stain contains a
using one of the faster-drying stains. Its binder (it isnt simply dye), you can use a
much faster to wipe the stain onto the paint stripper. But nothing short of sand-
wood with a cloth, wearing gloves of ing will remove all the color.
course, than to brush it. (I cant remem- The difficulty correcting stain prob-
ber ever brushing a stain.) lems is surely one of the reasons so many
Washcoat. A washcoat, which is any finish
thinned to about 10 percent solids, can be used woodworkers avoid staining altogether.
to reduce blotching, but it also reduces the inten- Application Problems PWM
sity of the stains color. On this sample, I applied Common problems and ways to avoid
a varnish washcoat (wood conditioner) to the left Bob is author of the new book Flexner on Finishing,
them:
side of the panel and let it dry overnight. Then I available from Popular Woodworking Books.
The stain dries in spots before you get
applied a stain to the entire panel.
it all wiped off, leaving an uneven color-
ing. If you are quick enough, you can wipe
with more stain on smaller sections at a u Go Online for more
time to re-liquify the stain so you can then
Youll find links to all these online extras at:
wipe it off evenly. Otherwise, strip with u popularwoodworking.com/dec10
lacquer thinner, acetone or paint stripper
article: Learn how to properly sand to
and restain smaller parts at a time or get prepare your wood for stain.
a second person to help. to buy: Bobs new book, Flexner on
The color of the stain doesnt match Finishing, includes 12 years worth of
what you expected from the name on the updated finishing columns.
label. Names are simply manufacturers web site: Read more of our finishing
interpretations. There are no industry articles.
Wiping. The basic rule for applying all stains is to
apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it standards. All of our products are available online at:
dries. Its much faster to apply stain with a cloth The color of the stain on your project u WoodworkersBookShop.com
than it is to brush on the stain. isnt the same as on the color sample in the