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The basic way to apply a stain is to wipe, brush or
spray it onto the wood, and then wipe off the excess using a dry cloth.
This will produce an even coloring as long as the wood isn’t naturally
blotchy and you have prepared it well.
Other
ways to apply color include the following:
Spray
on a stain and leave it
(Sometimes called “toning”). You can spray and entire surface to
produce an even coloring, or you can limit the spray to parts (for
example, just sapwood) to correct and uneven coloring in the wood or
create special effects. Use only dye stains, or pigment stains
designed for spraying, so you don’t create adhesion problems, and
thin the stain enough so you don’t leave lap marks.
Partially
seal the wood
before applying a stain (called “washcoating”). The purpose is to
seal the wood enough so a stain doesn’t cause blotching but still
colors the wood. Using a washcoat and stain is much more efficient
than using a gel stain when staining large or multiple objects.
A washcoat is any finish or white glue that
is thinned to approximately three-to-seven percent solids – enough to
get the effect you want. An exact percent can’t be given because the
porosity of woods varies and everyone sprays a little differently. You
will need to experiment a little.
·
Seal the wood and apply a glaze to create a special
effect. A glaze is a pigmented stain thickened enough so it stays where
you leave it. You can use rags, brushes or specialized glazing tools to
manipulate the glaze. Once you have the look you want, let the glaze dry,
then coat over it to protect it from being scratched or rubbed off.
·
Seal the wood and spray on a toner or shading stain
to change the color of the wood or highlight parts of it. Toners are very
useful for tweaking a color to an exact match. Remember that a pigmented
toner obscures wood while a dye toner doesn’t. |
