Wood Stain: easy tips to overcome your furniture repurposing fear
I used to paint every piece of furniture that I felt needed a makeover. I had always been intrigued by various wood stain colors but was afraid to try. All of that changed when I found a beautiful table, China cabinet and credenza for $150 on craigslist. I knew I wanted to paint the China cabinet but that table top needed sanded and re-stained.
So began my journey of learning the stripping, sanding and staining process. Now days, I am willing to try staining pretty much anything, and I have learned a couple tricks along the way. So, if you’re a newbie, thinking about staining your first piece, here are some beginner tips to help you take the leap.
Wood Stain Tip #1
Use a stripper first. Citristrip is my absolute favorite! I had to play with a few others while in Europe, because I couldn’t get my hands on this one, and nothing compared.
Apply with a paintbrush, let sit for 30 minutes or more, and scrape off.
Wipe off with a rag and mineral spirits after you’ve scraped it, to clean any additional residue.
If you don’t want to use a chemical stripper, you can strip the wood using only sandpaper. You can accomplish this by doing the following:
Medium grit sandpaper: I like to start by using 80 grit sandpaper, and slowly go over the entire piece. Patience is key with sanding! This grit of sandpaper is course enough to remove any of the previous paints, stains and varnishes. So take your time, but work on it until you’ve reached bare wood, swapping out for new sandpaper when needed.
Fine grit sandpaper: From here you will go up to either 100 or 120 grit, depending on what your store has in stock. You will do the same thing, slowly go over the entire piece. You should feel the wood getting smoother after this step.
Very fine grit sandpaper: Finally, you will finish off by going over the entire piece with 220 grit sandpaper. This should leave behind a very smooth surface.
Don’t skip the middle step or be in a hurry. The biggest error I see with sanding is skipping from medium to very fine grit sandpaper and it will often leave behind swirl marks that will show through your stain and ruin the final look.
Staining Tip #2
Get yourself an orbital sander, and do some light sanding once the stripper has been removed.
Use a 220-grit sandpaper if you do not need to remove any paint. The goal here is just some light prep work.
Next, you are going to clean the surface. I like to start by brushing all of the dust off using a painter’s dust brush, followed by wiping the surface with a lint free rag and mineral spirits.
Staining Tip #3
Apply a layer of pre-stain. DO NOT skip this step. It takes five minutes to dry and provides a base coat on the surface, which allows your stain to go on evenly. I tried to save a few dollars and skip this step in my beginning staining days, and had a very blotchy table top that I ended up sanding and redoing.
Tip #4
Once your pre-stain is dry, it’s time to apply your stain. I like to use either a stain brush or a foam brush. You apply each coat in the direction of the wood grain, and wipe off the excess with a lint free cloth. Let your stain dry between coats.
I like to cut up old white t-shirts for this step.
My favorite stains these days are Rust-Oleum brand. You can find them at Wal-Mart, and they have great one coat coverage.
Wood Stain Tip #5
Apply a protective top coat. My favorite is Polyacrylic. I like to apply three or more coats, lightly sanding between each coat, with 220 grit sandpaper.
That’s all there is to it! So, if you’ve been thinking about sanding and staining a piece, now is the time! You’ll find it’s really not so scary once you do it the first time. And wood tones are definitely trending again.
