Stain for Aquarium Stand

[ryan115]

When finishing my stand, what is the best stain to use, so that the wood is sealed and the color wont fade from the saltwater? Does it need a topcoat of polyurethane or will the stain hold on its own?

[cstires]

What type of wood is it?

[jefathome]

I used MinWax stain and it worked great.
You NEED to use Poly as a top coat regardless though. It will protect against water damage and salt.

Also, I highly reccomend that you use seperate stain and Poly. Not one of the 2in1 PolyStain types. The result is sub-par.

It is going to be a LOT tougher to re-stain and Poly your stand down the line vs taking an extra day or so to let teh stain dry and then use Poly. Trust me... The pure stain looks better as well, and you can control the darkness of the stain with the # of coats you use. I always do at elast two coats and then 2 coats of Poly. Also, use some 300 "grit" steel wool between Poly coats to get the super smooth feel everyone wants. Also, IMO the "Satin" Poly gives the best look vs the higher gloss ones.

[jefathome]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8787121#post8787121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cstires
What type of wood is it?


If it is pine (or any soft wood), use the pre-coat as well. It makes the stain absorb into the wood in a more uniform manner.

If you are using hardwood (which is MUCH more $$) then you could get away with a tongue-oil finish.

[ryan115]

The "skeleton of the frame is going to be just pine 2x4's I will add a thin shell on the stand to give it a complete look. But the sides and front will be removable for accessability. I am not sure what would I will be using for the shell. I will just have to see how money is going at the time that I buy

Also, do I need to cover the 2x4's with anything or would it be better to buy treated lumber and just leave it as that?

[ryan115]

bump

[xtrstangx]

Buy regular 2x4's and cover them with any white paint. You won't spill that much water (or you shouldn't anyway) so really some paint is better than unfinished wood.

I used Minxwax 'Sedona Red' stain on my Red Oak veneered-plywood. Finished it with probably 5 coats of polyeurathane.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/nwreefer08/IMG_1472.jpg

[ryan115]

looks great! I havent figured out what color I want to down the exterior yet. I'll probably end up trying to match it to the room furniture.

[rivdog]

for the interior of yuour stand , who cares it is stained, but to protect it best u should apply 2-3 coats of a spar or marine urethane. Spar and marine are different from your average "Poly" in that they are made for exterior use. This is what u want in your cabinet. If u wsant to paint or stain first, feell free., Then spar or marine for your most durable finish

[jefathome]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8838567#post8838567 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xtrstangx
Buy regular 2x4's and cover them with any white paint. You won't spill that much water (or you shouldn't anyway) so really some paint is better than unfinished wood.

I used Minxwax 'Sedona Red' stain on my Red Oak veneered-plywood. Finished it with probably 5 coats of polyeurathane.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/nwreefer08/IMG_1472.jpg

5 coats? Wow... you weren't fooling around. I usually use two, but more can't hurt. Very nice looking btw. Did you use a fine steel wool between poly coats? I used about a 300 I think. Gets any little bumps out nicely and gives a better surface for the next coat to stick to.

[fuzzyt]

Absolutely beautiful!!!