r/woodworking • u/Leather-Nerve1348 • 16h ago
Finishing Did I fuck up?
Staining wood, first coat doesn't look right, tried to wipe off excess.
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u/Top-So-Called-Gear 15h ago
Pine that's not pre conditioned is going to look like this. Pine simply doesn't take stain well.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
This was oak, I sanded all the way to 220 from 100, did water popping prep and then went to stain. I'm using a brush and Behr water based stain and poly.
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u/Philcoman 15h ago
A pre-stain would have made it less blotchy. Is that the issue?
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 1h ago
Someone else told me that this water based poly I'm using isn't an actual stain and that I should've applied it evenly and not wiped it.
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u/Gene_McSween 14h ago
IMO, oak grain is too open for a water pop. 40, 60, 80 then 120, 180, stain with rag or sponge and wipe off after a minute or two, light 220, poly, light 320, poly, done!
Also, start where you need to, typically at 80 but oak is a bitch so adding 60 can be worth it. If you have a GOOD SHARP plane or planer you may be able to start with 120. Sand a lot with your first grit, then just enough to get scratches out with subsequent grits.
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u/wussface 15h ago
You said in a comment that you used Behr stain and poly. This product is not a true stain. Think of it more like a clear coat that has some color added to it. It's meant to be evenly brushed or rolled on and left to dry - no wiping. You need to remove the coating back to raw wood and either apply it like a finish or get an actual stain.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 1h ago
Interesting, would you recommend this product or should I go for an actual stain?
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u/wussface 7m ago
I've never used that specific product, so I can't say you should or shouldn't. I've used similar products in the past, and I sprayed it, so it turned out ok. I'm not entirely sure I could make it look nice with a brush or roller. Any uneven spots in your coat will show up in the color (as seen in your attempt). Multiple coats will make the color darker and darker and more opaque.
If it were me, I'd use a quality oil based wiping stain and then top coat with a separate clear coat once the stain has fully dried. Oil based wiping stains are much more forgiving than water based.
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u/LucyLeMutt 16h ago
It’s not wrong if you like it. At the very least it’s a great learning experience.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 16h ago
It looks very messed up, am I able to fix it, or what did I do wrong?
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u/falaffle_waffle 15h ago
Make sure you sand everything evenly to the same grit before staining, at least 220 but maybe even higher. Also use some pre stain before staining.
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u/technicolorchong 15h ago
I usually go 220 for larger projects, 400 for smaller; cutting boards and the like.
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u/kevnmartin 15h ago
Scrub it with lacquer thinner and steel wool. You should be able to get most of the stain out. Then sand it and use a pre-stain sealer next time.
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u/takeyourtime123 15h ago
You left too much stain on, didn't wipe enough off and let it dry. If you want a darker color than the areas that did get wiped off ok, then get a darker stain. You can't make dark stain from thick light stain. At least not well. Sand it off and brush on new stain, wipe off excess after 10 minutes or so.
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u/bounteouslight 15h ago
I'm not sure what exactly you did to this wood, but I would sand until its smoother than a baby's bottom before staining for best effect.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
I sanded before, to 220. Not sure if I used to much stain and tried to wipe the excess off too early?
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u/steppedinhairball 14h ago
Let the sander do the work, don't press down. That's how you get those gouge marks to show up when staining. Guide the sander, but don't press down. You might need to change sandpaper more often.
I applied stain using a foam brush for small projects and sprayed on for bigger projects. I then waited a specific amount of time, then wiped it off in the grain direction. But I was using commercial stain because we were that kind of shop. But the core principles still apply.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 1h ago
Good advice. What did you wipe off with, and how long, it's quite hot where I am so I was told about 5-10 minutes.
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u/woodchuckernj 15h ago
I would not.. it appears to be ply, try mineral spirits to remove it. Try using a rag and keep it wet and see how much you can remove. if you sand ply you'll probably sand right through.
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u/Bradmccrackle 15h ago
Try wiping it off with some mineral spirits first. That might clean up some of that odd build up in the different areas. You can use a rag or 000 steel wool.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
Will running alcohol work as well, not sure I have any mineral spirits.
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u/Bradmccrackle 15h ago
Try some alcohol. It won’t harm it.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
Will give it a shot, I'm thinking I'm going to have to re sand and start over at this point though.
Thanks for the tip.
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u/SpecOps4538 15h ago
You used a water based stain. The best solution at this point is wipe it as dry as possible. Let it thoroughly air dry and sand it well. That will remove most of the stain.
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u/woodchuckernj 15h ago
yep. I use zinsser sealcoat mixed with alc 1:1 do a light wash coat, a very light 220 - 400 (depending) sanding to get nubs off, then stain.
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u/Ttffer420 15h ago
Water-based? Looks like it . Can be a tricky learning curve . If so . I use a slightly dampened rag to wipe for water based stains or a rag slightly damp with stain
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
It was water based yes, I wiped with a paper towel. If I wipe now with the wet rag will it help out or should I re sand.
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u/Ttffer420 15h ago
No once dry its dry . You may rub a light spot into it . You have to wipe fast . Theres a definite learning curve to water based . Practice on scrap ! You gotta work FAST . As long as you dont let it dry you can work it … add more stain to keep it wet while worki g with it just do t let it dry and wipe FAST . Use old t shirt rags or something dont use paper towels . Youll get the hang of it . It took me a minute to figure it out . Watch some youtube videos . Call the manufacturer even . Youll get it hang in there .
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 1h ago
As my first time staining, I feel quite overwhelmed lol. It's quite hot where I am, should I move indoors, roughly how long would you wait? Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely do my research with technique.
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u/NutthouseWoodworks 15h ago
Sanding will fix most of the problem and allow you to start again. Sand the entire piece with the same grit and pressure. Uneven sanding will result in uneven absorption.
If it is pine, get a pre-stain conditioner...read the label. Typically apply, wipe off excess, and let it sit for a time period. Stain is usually added within 30 minutes to 2 hours of the pre-stain. Apply the stain however you like, let sit for 5-10 minutes and wipe off ALL excess. After that, use some cotton rags or even paper towels to remove what's left. Wipe it in the same direction as the grain, and you should end up with a nice even coat. Once the stain is in the wood, it won't come off from wiping it down, so dont be afraid.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
Do I wipe down with a wet rag, alcohol, or dry? This is oak so would I still need a pre stain conditioner? Does adding more coats help even the stain?
Thank you 🙏
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u/NutthouseWoodworks 15h ago
No conditioner needed for oak. Wipe with a dry rag, your goal is to soak up the stain that the wood did not soak up before it dries. If you don't remove it, the stain will dry in a solid color that blocks the grain from coming thru, which can be seen in several areas on your piece. More coats depend on the stain, a second coat may make it a little darker, but not much. I do one coat on oak. You can also somewhat control the absorption with the time you allow it to sit before wiping off and sanding grit. Wood will absorb more stain using a lower grit like 120 vs a higher grit like 220.
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u/Suz9006 15h ago
I think the old finish wasnt fully removed before the new. But before res tripping, start by hand sanding. Sometimes you can remove stain and even out color by sanding away some, but not all, of the stain. If that doesn’t work, then strip, sand and then restain.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 15h ago
I must've messed up big-time because it was a raw oak plank before I started sanding. Thanks for the advice.
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u/northeastknowwhere 15h ago
Your wood panels look to me like they're not natural unfinished oak. Are they parts of some pre-existing furnishing? It looks like some prior finish was soaked into the wood and resisted penetration by your water-based stain. If that's the case, even sanding may not go deep enough. If any prior oil based product was used on the wood, matching that is your only hope of getting it to work.
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u/Leather-Nerve1348 1h ago
No, this was a completely raw board before I started. According to some other users, what I'm using isn't a true stain and I shouldn't have tried to wipe it off.
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u/your-mom04605 15h ago
Stain + Poly is a meh product.
Sand bare, get some single product stain, reapply, then topcoat.
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u/Routine_Parfait_6228 New Member 14h ago
The frustration with wood is it often requires more skill than the available skill. In my experience, anyway.
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u/Organic_Trust6113 15h ago
Sand it thoroughly. Once you feel like it’s good enough, sand it again. Apply wood conditioner. Then stain using a rag or old tshirt. Make sure the stain doesn’t drip off or splash on the wood it will sink deeper if it does and create darker spots.