wood staining

[DaveG99]

I am going to be staining my stand soon. Is it necessary to use the pre stain stuff? Any staining tips will be appreciated. Thanks.

[gath2]

If you have a soft porous wood, I would recommend the pre-stain. It also depends on how dark you want the stand to be and how closely you want it to match what the stain looks like on the container. Stain is a piece of cake. Just put it on evenly, wipe it off and let it dry. Repeat until you reach the desired color. Applying the Poly is the part you have to take your time with.

[DaveG99]

Whats the poly? Is that the pre stain stuff? I want to match exactly what I see on the can. And I am using very finely sanded plywood so I am assuming it is soft wood.

[fsn77]

Poly is what you put on after you've put on enough coats of stain to get the color you're looking for. Plain old poly is clear and protects the stain finish / wood.

[TheVillageIdiot]

make sure you've done enough sanding w/ the grain too... any cross-grain sanding as well as glue drips/spots will be magnified by the stain as they will take differently.

[sixliner6]

I think spar urethane would be the best choice.

[a4twenty]

when you say finely sanded plywood do you mean a veneered plywood? or just regular plywood. the pre-stain or conditioner is used on soft woods to help promote even coverage. plywood is made from softwood, but if veneered with oak / cherry / maple ...... then it's hardwood. you can use the pre-stain on hardwood but it's not necessary. remember to grab some tack rags to remove all the dust before and between coats and sanding.