A Simple Guide for Staining Wood Surfaces

Highlights of the Post:
Staining Wood
Step-by-step Guide
Tips for Staining Wood

Staining wood surfaces is the fastest and easiest way to change the tone of the wooden furniture, fixtures, and floor in your house. Although the natural beauty of wood is unattainable, you can try to imitate the colour and pattern by using this method. 

Whether you want to get rid of discolouration of the surface, merge two different tones of wood, or just have the wood a certain colour – staining wood surfaces is one of the most efficient ways to achieve it. Wondering how to get the job done by yourself? Well, we’ve discussed everything [from guide to tips] you need to know about staining wood furniture and fixtures. 

Let’s begin! 

Understanding Wood Staining 

The process of painting a wooden surface to darken its natural tone is known as wood staining. The only thing that sets both painting the surface and staining the wooden surfaces apart is that the stains used for this purpose get absorbed in the surface and darken the wood’s pigmentation to the core. 

Contrary to popular belief, varnish and staining the wood are not the same – varnish is just an outer coat on the surface of the wood. 

Staining a wooden surface will help you make the natural patterns more prominent. Wood staining offers added benefits than any other form of painting wood. It doesn’t only give a beautiful shade to the wood, but also covers any form of discolouration, burn marks, and scratches.  

How to Stain Wooden Surfaces – A Step-Wise Guide

The process of wood staining furniture or fixtures, is just a small part of the steps that you need to consider for polishing raw wood and bringing out its true essence. Before you begin staining a wooden surface, you need to sand it and then coat it with a clear varnish. 

Let’s move ahead and take a look at this step-by-step guide on staining wooden surfaces at home: 

1. Clean the surface of the wood using a clean and soft cloth. 
2. Use a sandpaper to open up the upper layer of the wood. It will allow the stain to penetrate deeper into the layers and bring out a more vibrant effect. 
3. In the next step, you will need to test the stain on a stray piece of wood with the same tone. It is advisable to try it on the bottom of your furniture or in a spot that isn’t easily visible. 
4. Use a paintbrush to apply the stain evenly on the surface in one singular direction. It will give the surface a more professional look.
5. Now, wait for the colour to get absorbed into the wood.
6. Wipe-off the excess amount of colour with a clean cloth. 
7. If the colour isn’t dark enough, apply another coat and repeat the above given process. 
8. Seal the wood with a varnish for better protection against the usual wear and tear. 
9. You need to leave the wood overnight in order for it to dry before you begin using it. 

Tips for Staining Wood

Here are some tips that will prove to be helpful during the process of staining wood: 

• Choose the colour of the stain wisely since it is a permanent process. You can’t keep changing the stain over and over again. 
• Weigh the pros and cons of the stains that you will be selecting. 
• Wear protective gear over your eyes and skin to protect yourself from harmful chemicals. 
• Try wearing an old dress or apron to keep your clothes from getting ruined by the stains from staining wood. 
• Removing stain marks is extremely difficult. You should cover the work area before you start staining wood. 
• Consider testing the colour of the stain on a corner of the wooden furniture to understand how dark the shade should be. 
• Sanding the wood is extremely important to open up the pores of the upper layer for the stain to absorb easily. 
• It is extremely important to mix the colour within the can for having even colour to apply on the surface. 
• You can use an old rag instead of using a paint brush for applying paint. 
• Paint strokes should be in the direction of the wood grain to avoid blotches.
• In order to provide a more finished look, you should always coat your stained wood with varnish. This is done to provide protection to the wood, since stain will only add colour. 
• You should be extremely careful when applying the stain. Don’t leave a stain on the wooden surface to dry off since it will be extremely difficult to apply a sealant on it once it has dried. 
• The colour will darken according to how long you leave the stain on for, it is important for you to time the process in order to achieve the desired colour. 
• Always wipe the excess stain in the same direction as its original application, so the finishing of the stained wood surface is perfect and not uneven. 

If you are planning to stain wood furniture or surfaces any time soon, we suggest you keep the process and the tips and tricks in mind. We hope that you find this information useful, and if there are any questions that you want to ask us or provide any kind of feedback, kindly write to us at blogs@jagahonline.com. For more updates related to the real estate market in Pakistan, follow Jagah Online on Facebook!