So our first tip is this: Always do a test area first, trialling your interior or exterior wood stain product on a small, hidden area to make sure things aren’t going to go pear-shaped and you end up with the colour you want. Every tree is unique, even within the same species. You can use any stain you like on hardwoods, but you may need multiple coats to achieve the same effect as you get on softwoods.Įvery piece of wood is different.
Hardwoods tend to have a neat, even, finer grain.Manns Classic Pine Stain is specially formulated for pine and other soft grain woods. Wood conditioners are bigger in the US and have mixed reviews. If not, you could try a special pre-stain conditioner which sinks into the wood fibres to give an even base. You might want the grain to stand out from the background and dye darker, since it’s a great way to enhance the wood’s beauty. Softwoods tend to have an uneven grain, often with patterns or blotches, and in some cases can stain unevenly.Box, for example, is a surprisingly soft hardwood and fir is a very hard softwood. How do you tell them apart? Softwoods include pines, firs and cedars. Is it a softwood or hardwood? They behave differently, and the application process and end results are different. Wood stains can be used to transform the look and feel of any roomīefore Staining Wood – Know what wood type you’re dealing with…ĭecking stain, you need to know what type of wood you’re dealing with.
Whatever your motivation, using a wood stain rich in pigments on bare or stripped-down wood changes the colour and also highlights the lovely grain. Perhaps you’re changing your décor and your wood floors and furniture need to change to match. The surface may be damaged or in serious need of a facelift. Why would you want to stain wood? You might be bored of the colour.