Staining a book shelf.HELP!!?
Question:Ok...I sanded like crazy...THought I got down to bare wood...so I put on my first layer of stain and the next day there's ugly blotches EVERYWHERE! where did I go wrong...am I using the wrong stain. Any advice would help!
Answers:
You needed to use a pre-stain wood conditioner, especially with pine. Minwax makes this product and it works great. I don't know if it will work after the fact. You just brush it on before applying the stain. You might want to to try putting some of it on the project and rubbing it in with fine steel wool, then trying the stain again. You might also try getting som gel stain and rubbing it in to even the splotches out. Try these on an area that you won't see to see which will work best.
Try this..look under staining wood. its very helpful.
Sometimes the brush you use isn't leaving a good area-
I stained a rocking chair my first time, and the idea is to work in small steps first.
If it was virgin wood, it needed a barrier between the stain and the wood- just because there was nothing to keep the wood from absorbing neatly and uniformly- its not a sponge, but it does absorb moisture.
Also, use a rag- a brush will make the stain leave more stain on the wood in the first place that you touch, instead of where you end up.
So, don't brush lengthwise- because the brush ends up with less stain at the end of your stroke than at the beginning.
I think, the only thing you can do now is apply more stain-
so it will be a lot darker, but try not to apply over the dark blotches- this is just where your brush lingered and left behind more stain. Take it slow, don't rush thru- make sure that your stroke is even and uniform, and try not to go over previously painted areas.
Unfortunately, you should have used a sealer first or a gel stain. Too late now since the stain is already in the wood. Wood, such as pine, has a lot of open grain and absorbs stain unevenly and that's why the blotches. You might be able to use wood bleach to try to clean it up but there's no guarantee that will work. If it does, then seal or gel stain before you varnish.
You should have applied a sealer primer, but since you have not you can proceed. Your wood is simply absorbing the stain at different rates because of various porosity from the sanding. If you apply the next coat of stain it will begin to absorb evenly and likey a 3rd coat will give you a beutiful finish. GOOD LUCK
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