Staining Pine Wood Stairs

Antique pine often has a dark mellow color.

Staining pine wood stairs.

In addition to blotchiness the softer areas between the grain lines soak up stain like a sponge creating an unnatural look. Staining pine make this inexpensive wood look like a million bucks. The whole idea behind stain is that you can color wood but not cover up the grain like paint does. Dark stains on pine can look horrible.

Follow the directions on the can of wood stain and make sure that you cover the entire surface of each stair by moving in long strokes and going with the grain as you apply. To get the wood ready for staining you need to hand sand each tread thoroughly. Get a wood stain from a home improvement store and brush it onto the stair treads with a bristle brush. Wood stains are probably most commonly used on pine boards and plywood.

Unfortunately when woodworkers try to duplicate that color on new pine by using stain the results are usually disappointing. Seal pine before wood staining. In order to prep your wood sand it with a low grit sandpaper to remove any inconsistencies. Pressure treated wood contains preservatives to prevent rot and insect damage but it remains vulnerable to the sun wind moisture and dirt.

Wear gloves when handling pressure treated wood. In this video i show you how to stain pine wood. Brush a coat of wood stain onto each tread. Next use a higher grit sandpaper to smooth the surface then scrub the wood with a soft sponge to.

The photo below shows the dramatic difference between the raw and sealed areas of pine using the same stain color. Yeah but what about drab boring wood. In this case consider applying a pre stain wood conditioner which seeps into the wood fibers to seal the material and prevent the uneven absorption that causes blotching. The main problem is that pine tends to soak up stain unevenly resulting in a blotchy unnatural appearance.

It s possible to stain pine stair treads but it takes more prep work to get good results with pine than it does with harder woods. Typically pine is the cheapest lumber you can buy and its light color can make it seem like a blank canvas. Some softwoods like pine and some hardwoods such as cherry turn blotchy when stained.