How do I stain a new untreated wooden table?
Question:We bought a new untreated very big wooden dining table with chairs.
But how do I stain the new surface of the big table, that there will be no stripes visible from the stain at the end? What material shall I use? Brush or cloths? And will I have to stain the additional leaves in the middle, where I can prolong the table, at the same time? The whole thing is extremly heavy. Please advise. Thank you very much in advance.
Answers:
Use clothes for sure... have some for putting on the stain and some for removing it. If you are wanting a certain color have a color tile to try to match. If the table is really big get a friend to prevent drying and streaking but those can be fixed too. Soak your clothes with the stain and completely cover the top surface and edges of the table do the rest in sections. after you have it all wet with stain take the dry clothes and begin to wipe off the stain going with the grain of the wood. You can keep on taking it off making it lighter or let the stain sit for a min or two to soak in and make it a darker color. If you do not like a spot or it is too dark you can use a cloth with stain on it already and put a lil paint thinner on it to even out spots or fix streaks. If you have never staind before practice on the bottom of the table first wiping on and off to get the idea of what you will be doing use some thinner as well so you see the effects of that lil practice will make you a pro.. Good luck
use brush to apply stain and rag to even it out...brush, wipe with rag.you could wait to stain the leaves, but you run the risk of not being able to match them up due to the stain darkening or lightening as it drys.
You should stain all the parts at the same time. You did not mention what kind of wood it is but if it is a soft wood you should apply a wood conditioner first, this makes the stain go on more evenly. Hardwood does not require this. You can apply the stain with at least a 3" wide brush, going in the direction of the grain. After a few minutes wipe off the excesss stain with a soft, lint free cloth. If the results are not dark enough for you, you can always apply a second coat of stain after a few hours. When the staining is done, you should apply several coats of polyurethane sanding with fine sandpaper between coats. I use at least three coats of the final finish. Make sure you have wiped off all the dust with a damp rag between coats.
Recently I refinished an old table whose finish had become checked, cracked and full of tiny pinholes. I sanded off the rough spots and by the time I was done had put on about 12 coats of glossy polyurethane, sanding in between coats with progressively finer sandpaper. By the time I was done I had worked up to 600 grit sandpaper and #0000 steel wool. The result was a finish that had a depth to it and was almost a high-gloss piano finish. Sanding with an ultra fine sandpaper makes a big difference in the look of the next coat of finish. Most woodworking projects go as far as 220 grit sandpaper; I occasionally use sandpaper up to 2000 grit, which has about as much tooth to it as good quality copy paper. It takes time to do this properly; this is not something you can finish in a day or two or maybe even in a week.
Test the untreated wood with water first to check if there is any glue that will stop the stain from evenly absorbing into the wood . Sand where necessary.
Use a Cotton rag to spread the stain , go with the grain , not against it.You can stain the leaves separately but use the same can / technique.
Reverse the table legs up then flip over and finish the top. Use 3 coats of clear Satin urethane after , if possible spray on using an air compressor with spray gun for a nicer smooth finish , otherwise buy a good quality brush , it will be worth it.
Good luck and don`t rush it.
Hi there. It's really not difficult. It just takes patience. Minwax puts out a free guide to help you step by step.http://www.minwax.com/listserv/free_publ... Here is another source:http://www.unfinishedfurniture.org/ce_ch... I personally don't have the patience for it, but with determination, you really can get great results. Have a great project.
first sand with 120 grit paper. blow off dust, use oil base stain
(minwax is good) apply with rag use brush where needed keep whipeing off as you go thats why its called a whipeing stain
let dry good 8 -9 hrs apply clear coat.let dry sand liteley with 220
paper clean apply 2nd 3rd if needed no sanding after 2ndcoat
if you are not spraying use a foam brush to remove any brush marks clear coats will take overnight to dry.
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