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| "Forewarned is forearmed"
There are some very basic ground rules you should know about before attempting to correctly stain wood. (These rules do not
necessarily apply to DIY varnish type wood stains).
- Always stir or shake a bottle of stain thoroughly before use to distribute the dyes and pigments. Then pour into a
separate container before dipping a cloth or brush into the stain. Do not try to pour the stain onto a cloth. Stir the
stain occasionally during use.
- Many timbers will accept the stain more in some areas than others and produce a very patchy result. This is a problem
with the wood chosen and not the wood stain although there are methods of reducing the effect. A general rule of thumb is
that the more expensive the wood, the better it stains and polishes. Cheap softwood doors for example often look good
enough to stain and polish but usually take a stain very poorly. Always test on a small area first.
- End grain can cause a problem when it becomes darker than the rest of the wood. After carrying out a test to check if
this is the case you can then try one of the following methods:-
i) Apply a 50% mix of Finney's shellac sanding sealer and
methylated spirits to the end grain only before staining takes
place. This reduces the porosity of the wood and is a little like sizing a wall before wallpapering to stop the adhesive
being absorbed too quickly.
ii) For water based stain only, wet the end grain with clean water before staining. This instantly dilutes the stain and
lightens its colour during application.
iii) Where a stain has penetrated deeper than expected such as on turnings and staircase spindles you can wash the stain back
off again in the darker areas using a suitable thinners to lighten it. I.e., water for water based stains, white spirits
for Colron wood dye and naphtha thinners for naphtha stains.
iv) Wood stains should be left to dry overnight prior to applying a polish or other surface coating.
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| TROUBLESHOOTING
Q. Stain appears patchy because of overlaps |
| A. 1. Insufficient stain may have been
applied. Restain to cover the whole surface before wiping off all of the excess with a lint free
cotton cloth.
A. 2. Too much stain may have been applied and the excess has not been wiped off. Wipe off the excess with
a lint free cotton cloth before the stain dries. If it has dried, wipe over with a
cloth damped in water for a water based stain or white spirits for Colron wood dye or naphtha thinners for
Finney's
Professional Naphtha Stain. Leave to dry and restain if appropriate.
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| Q. The wood
stain appears patchy as the timber is absorbing stain more in one place than another. |
A. This was touched on earlier when looking at end grain and the answer is to mix up a
solution of 50% Finney's shellac sanding sealer and 50%
methylated spirits. This is applied to the wood before staining and reduces the porosity of the wood.
Lightly touch sand and stain. After a test, if the stain is still producing a patchy effect, make up a thicker mix of
sealer/meths or apply a second coat of the original mix. If the sealer is repelling the stain, apply a little more
methylated spirits to the mix. Always test the effect you're having on a small area first.
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| Q. What is the
correct way of staining wood? |
| The answers below refer to Finney's Genuine Trade Water Stains, Finney's Professional Naphtha
Stains, and Colron wood dyes only.
A. Different timbers will absorb penetrating wood stains at different rates. Assuming that the timber itself
will accept a stain satisfactorily, there are then two methods of application:
- Brush the stain liberally onto the surface (with the grain) wiping off the excess with a lint
free cotton cloth. Wipe over with a clean lint free cotton cloth and leave to dry.
- Wipe the stain onto the wood (along the grain) using a lint free cotton cloth,
covering the surface uniformly. Dip up the cloth regularly making sure you push the stain deep into the wood.
Large areas
Put the stain on with a brush leaving it to soak in for a minute or two but still allowing the stain to remain wet. Wipe
off along the grain with a lint free cotton cloth or a piece of clean towelling.
Decorative items and furniture
Wipe the stain along the grain with a piece of lint free cotton cloth pushing the stain
into the wood. Always continue on from the area that you have just stained. When the surface has been covered, wipe over
the whole area with a clean piece of lint free cotton cloth and leave to dry. Carved
areas and intricate surfaces can have the stain applied sparingly by brush before wiping off all excess stain.
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| MAJOR PROBLEMS!
Q.
The polish is lifting the stain from the wood |
| A. There is a problem of compatibility. Always choose the right combination
of stain and polish to avoid problems (see wood staining data sheets below and Choose a Finish).
Wood Stains Data Sheets ~ Choosing a wood stain
ALWAYS choose a wood stain or dye that is compatible
with the finish you intend to use.
| Finney's Genuine Trade Water Based Stains |
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
- Compatible with all other finishes although care needs to be taken when applying the first coat of
Trade Grade Acrylic Varnish, Trade Grade Acrylic Extra and
Ronseal Diamond Hard to avoid lifting the colour.
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May raise the grain of the wood. To overcome this on quality work first sand the wood as usual. Then wash/wipe
the surface with clean tap water and leave to dry. Lightly resand and apply the stain |
- Wide range of colours including bright shades
| TROUBLE SHOOTING
The stain will still raise the grain in the following circumstances:
- Where insufficient water has been used
- Where resanding has removed the raised fibres, exposing new wood. (Light resand only).
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- Safe to use, no odour and non flammable
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| Finney's Professional Naphtha Stain & Colron DIY wood dyes |
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
- Compatible with many finishes but care must be taken when applying the first coat of
Durapolish Clear Glaze or polyurethane varnish to avoid lifting the colour
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- Not compatible with FINPOL Extra Hard Polish, Trade Grade Acrylic Varnish, Trade Grade
Acrylic "Extra" Varnish, Ronseal Diamond Hard and Oil Finishes. Do not use
with Finpol Special Polish on oak.
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- Use below wax polish only when sealed in using Finney's Shellac Sanding Sealer, Finpol
Brushing Polish/Sealer or Finpol Wax Polish Undercoat.
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- Very deep rich traditional antique colours (Finney's professional naphtha stain
only)
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- See Choose a Finish for which stains are best suited to a particular polish.
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- Thinning will produce your own lighter shades
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| Powder Spirit Stains |
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
- Excellent for colouring French polish and toning FINPOL polishes
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- Very fast drying time when used as a neat wood stain. This is a specialist stain and is not suitable as a
general purpose wood stain or for use by beginners
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Selection of wood stains for Restorers and Woodworkers:
Not recommended for total beginners!
Sometimes a combination of stain and finish is preferred which in theory is not compatible.
In the first instance always try to choose a stain that will not be lifted by the finish (see above) although sometimes this
cannot be avoided. As a rule of thumb, an oil (white spirits) or naphtha stain will be lifted by wax polish, oil finishes,
Durapolish clear glaze and polyurethane varnish. Water based stains will lift slightly when overcoated with water based
Trade Grade Acrylic & Trade Grade Acrylic Extra varnishes.
Method 1
Seal in the stain with a product that has a different base. You could try Finney's shellac
sanding sealer to separate the stain from the finish. E.g., use Finney's
professional naphtha stain (oil based), one coat Finney's shellac sanding sealer
(spirit based) and then finish off with Supreme wax (oil based). Or
alternatively, Finney's professional naphtha stain (oil based), one coat
Finney's shellac sanding sealer (spirit based) and finally Durapolish Clear Glaze
(oil based). And there are lots of other combinations too.
Method 2
Binding the stain to the wood. This method relies on adding a little of a finish with the same base to the stain to
stick it to the wood. E.g., add 20% Durapolish Clear Glaze (oil based) to 80%
Finney's Professional Naphtha stain (oil based) and then apply the wood stain as above.
Leave to dry and overcoat with Durapolish Clear glaze. This completely eliminates the
risk of the colour being lifted during application but does create a slightly lighter shade.
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| Q.
What are naphtha stains? |
A. Finney's Professional Naphtha Stains are
an easy to use, richly coloured wood stain that do not raise the grain. They produce the classic shades of
traditional oak and mahogany with dark oak, golden oak and dark mahogany being our most popular colours.
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| Q.
How do I match new floor boards to old pine? |
A. If you apply a wood stain to a mix of old and new floor boards there will
still be a marked colour difference between the two. The secret is to apply either an ageing stain
or an antique pine or special warm pine
water based stain to the new boards only, although the latter may require diluting. After staining all of
the new boards,leave to dry and either apply the chosen finish or restain all of the boards with the colour you require before finishing.
Always carry out a test first if you can. Choose a Finish will advise you on what type of
finish to use.
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You'll find more information on Staining and
Colouring
by clicking on
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