Tip of The Week

December 15, 2007

This week’s tip comes from our “Lighten Up” file.

With the change in the seasons we are all moving inside for the winter projects.  Building bookcases, tables and those sorts of projects will usually call for sanding staining and finishing.  We answer lots of questions about stain and polyurethane and we have many occasions to talk about matching stains to blend in with an existing stain.  Here is a little tidbit that will help you control the stain color.

Did you know that the same color stain on the same piece of wood could produce significantly different colors?  One of the factors is the sanding process.  Stain soaks into the wood to darken the natural color of the wood.  The more stain absorbed by the wood the darker the stain.  Applying stain and wiping it off quickly is one way to reduce the amount of stain absorbed and therefore lighten the color.  A more consistent way to control color is to change the grit of the sandpaper you use prior to the application of the stain.  The larger the number grit on the sand paper the finer finish you will get.  A very fine finish means very tight surface that will not absorb as much stain as a surface that is somewhat rougher or more porous.  Think of it like opening and closing the pores of the wood.  What does this mean?  Well if you find a stain that is close to the color you want but you would like to lighten it up just a bit.  Don’t mix it with another color.  Get a good smooth finish with a very fine grit sandpaper.  Conversely if you would like it to be a little darker lower the grit a step or two.  You will not leave a rough surface because a few coats of polyurethane (sanded between coats) will produce the smooth finish you are looking for.

Another tip we spoke about a while back was using a “sanding sealer” to coat the wood after sanding and before staining.  The sanding sealer helps the wood to absorb the stain more evenly.  There, this tip is finished.

Thanks for visiting Ask John and Dave.com and we’ll see you on the air,

John and Dave

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