# Staining or finishing yellow pine/construction lumber



## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

I have what I believe to be yellow pine and maybe construction lumber. I haven't had great luck so far getting a nice even finish with minwax wood conditioner and semitransparent oil based stain. I have had some recommendations to just use wipe on polyurethane ore danish oil….or dye stain. I have no experience with any of these. I was hoping I could see some pics and get some ideas on how I can make this table look nice with a stain or oil/finsih.


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## Monty151 (Nov 1, 2018)

i have recently started using wood dye, and I don't think I will ever go back to stain, particularly with pine. I don't have any pics on hand of what I have used it on but the ease of application is much better than stain in my opinion.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

What ever you do make some test pieces first.
I would suggest sealing it first with a 2# cut of clear de-waxed shellac (Zinssers seal coat) then apply the stain. Shellac also comes in colored versions which can then be easily applied adding additional coats as needed to deepen the color. While shellac is a durable finish it is dissolvable by alcohol and by ammonia (glass cleaner) and is easily water marked by wet glasses, etc.; but is also easy to repair. You may want top coat it with a varthane or lacquer finish for a harder finish. Because most commercial shellac is not de-waxed (ie. the tinted ones) it would be a good idea to add one more coat of the clear de-waxed shellac so the top coat will adhere properly. Almost any finish can be applied over de-waxed shellac. 
Shellac drys very fast (less than 30 minutes) and sanding between coats with 320 or 400 grit sand paper will be needed. Also if you use brushes to apply it you can clean them with household ammonia and water. Often I just apply it with a piece of lint free cloth that I throw away; wear a latex glove.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I have had good results using danish oil on blotch prone wood like pine. Follow the directions to flood the surface, let it soak for a while, and wipe off the excess. Then let it cure. You can use danish oil as your final finish by adding more coats until you get the look you like. Or, if you want to use a film finish, like polyurethane (oil based), after the first coat of danish cures, add your final finish.

If you want to add stain for color, put on the first coat of danish oil, let it cure for 12-24 hours and then use a gel stain (oil based). Let the danish and stain cure for another 24 hours and then add your film finish.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Soft woods will often get blotchy as the soft wood will absorb stain faster than the darker or harder areas. It really helps to to use a pre-stain wood conditioner. It goes on clear like water and helps to even out or slow the absorption of stains on softwoods. It should be available anywhere stains are sold.


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Welcome to LJ's

Sanding also affects blotching, work through the grits, I generally go 100 up to 150, but you have to go slow and let the ROS take out the swirls


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

> i have recently started using wood dye, and I don t think I will ever go back to stain, particularly with pine. I don t have any pics on hand of what I have used it on but the ease of application is much better than stain in my opinion.
> 
> - Monty151


 I would love to see some examples of this used on a pine table or pine wood because I haven't seen many and the dyed wood I've seen is usually bright yellow or bright brown or another rainbow looking color. I saw a video on keda dye and they had a golden looking dye that was beautiful but didn't look natural as a stain


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

- LesB
Thanks for the tips. Is regular stain going to be able to absorb through seal coat? I have used wood conditioner but never a dewaxed shellac or seal coat before.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

> Soft woods will often get blotchy as the soft wood will absorb stain faster than the darker or harder areas. It really helps to to use a pre-stain wood conditioner. It goes on clear like water and helps to even out or slow the absorption of stains on softwoods. It should be available anywhere stains are sold.
> 
> - controlfreak


I always do apply wood conditioner. It helps some but not a huge difference at least with the minwax brand.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

I am thinking of trying this. I did a practice piece earlier today and it actually looks fairly decent. I have the medium walnut. I only did 2 coats. How fine would you sand before applying the oil. Do you sand in between coats? Do you clean with mineral spirits and then apply?


> I have had good results using danish oil on blotch prone wood like pine. Follow the directions to flood the surface, let it soak for a while, and wipe off the excess. Then let it cure. You can use danish oil as your final finish by adding more coats until you get the look you like. Or, if you want to use a film finish, like polyurethane (oil based), after the first coat of danish cures, add your final finish.
> 
> If you want to add stain for color, put on the first coat of danish oil, let it cure for 12-24 hours and then use a gel stain (oil based). Let the danish and stain cure for another 24 hours and then add your film finish.
> 
> - bilyo


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

Thanks. I do take my time going through the grits of sandpaper. I learned this the hard way! LOL



> Welcome to LJ s
> 
> Sanding also affects blotching, work through the grits, I generally go 100 up to 150, but you have to go slow and let the ROS take out the swirls
> 
> - ChefHDAN


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Suzy, there is no greater master for finishing than Charles Neil. We just recently lost him, may he rest in piece, but go down the rabbit hole and watch as much of him as you can, your time will be well spent, he was an LJ here and I count my self fortunate anytime he took the time to answer my questions and give advice.

Charles Neil using Dye


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

Thanks. I have seen a few of his videos but I will look again. You all have been a big help with your suggestions so far and I just joined and posted for the first time. I joined some other groups previously but didn't get a response from too many or if I did they were not a big help. So thanks!


> Suzy, there is no greater master for finishing than Charles Neil. We just recently lost him, may he rest in piece, but go down the rabbit hole and watch as much of him as you can, your time will be well spent, he was an LJ here and I count my self fortunate anytime he took the time to answer my questions and give advice.
> 
> - ChefHDAN


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

> I am thinking of trying this. I did a practice piece earlier today and it actually looks fairly decent. I have the medium walnut. I only did 2 coats. How fine would you sand before applying the oil. Do you sand in between coats? Do you clean with mineral spirits and then apply?
> 
> I- SuzyQ222


Use the "natural" danish oil. If you use the colored danish, it may show some blotching as it will be absorbed more in some areas. Use the gel stain to get the color you want. No need to sand after the danish. You may want to lightly sand between your film finish coats. I don't think you need to prep sand the wood more than through 220 grit but, test it on scrap and see what you like.

Or, if you are going to use just danish oil, do your first coat with "natural" and use the colored oil for subsequent coats.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

I would not use minwax. Especially on pine.

I like Sherwin Williams BAC wiping stain. Dries fast, good even color, easy to use.

I sand to 150 with the final sanding by hand. Pine is pine. Some level of unevenness will have to be accepted. Even with using conditioners.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

Yeah, I found that out the hard way…too unpredictable. I didn't realize Sherwin Williams had stains. Where can I see pics of the stains they have. I tried to look it up but it was kind of confusing.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

Thanks. If I just use the danish oil. Would using the natural before the medium walnut prevent blotching? I don't need it to be perfect, but I would want to see more color than just the natural I think. I am hesitant to try gel stain because I haven't really seen any that I love. But I am sure a lot depends on knowing how to apply.


> I am thinking of trying this. I did a practice piece earlier today and it actually looks fairly decent. I have the medium walnut. I only did 2 coats. How fine would you sand before applying the oil. Do you sand in between coats? Do you clean with mineral spirits and then apply?
> 
> I- SuzyQ222
> 
> ...


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## olbigun (Feb 17, 2020)

Those rounded edges look good but not for table top. Ya can't slide things across'm. Small things will TIP OVER Ttop needs to be smooth all way across. Sides if ya SPILL SOMETHING, it's gonna pour DOWN THRU THOSE CRACKS.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

It is a tv stand. I didn't make it, and I'm not really concerned so much about spilling anything on it since it's not a dining table. I paid way too much for it unfortunately and wasn't happy with it when I got it home. I basically sanded the whole thing down and removed all the wood filler that was way too much between the boards. While doing this I realized he didn't sand much at all and left the wood on the legs with go









uges. The paint job was pretty lousy to. Maybe his intention was a rustic look, but this was too much for me. It took me weeks to remove all the stain and paint, wood filler and try to repair holes and damage. I did it in the Florida heat on my apartment balcony. Never again will I take on something like this if I had known how tough it would be to work with this kind of wood, but since I went through all of this, I really want to make it nice or at least nicer than it was. Here are some pics. You can see it before when it had all of the wood filler. This took forever to remove!


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

SW BAC stains are pro grade. A good store will tint to any minwax color, or any color really.

Not all stores carry the same product. They can all get it.

This is just one brand. There are many out there. Valspar, chemcraft, ML Campbell, many more. The idea is to move away from minwax.

Some places that sell these brands may not want to mess with small quantities. If all you can find is home center stains, try varathane.


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## SuzyQ222 (Feb 17, 2020)

Here is a pic of the whole thing sanded down











> Those rounded edges look good but not for table top. Ya can t slide things across m. Small things will TIP OVER Ttop needs to be smooth all way across. Sides if ya SPILL SOMETHING, it s gonna pour DOWN THRU THOSE CRACKS.
> 
> - olbigun


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

For dye I use WD Lockwood, and get it at Tools for Working Wood.

Link to the water solubles

https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/CLWW

Link to the how to.

https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/more/LW-dyeinfo.html

If this link isn't to the Lockwood instruction page, go to the main site, and under "Knowledge" pick "How to," and to the side is the "WD Lockwood" link. Maybe I just haven't checked other brands, but it seems Joel has a lot of info there. It was enough to give me the confidence to try dye several years back, and I haven't even looked at a can of stain since.

Dye works just like the color wheel, so you can go online and see what any color is made up of. You are correct in that many of the dyes are primary colors, but you mix them to make what you want, or start with a base color, and give it tints.

Google, what colors are in a medium brown. It will pop open the basic ingredients to make it using all primary colors, or if you check Lockwood, they have several shades of medium brown. I like the Water soluble dyes, and I like a brown, and add a bit of red to lighten it.

***NOTE As already suggested do test pieces, because we could all have a packet of XYZ color dye, and it will be different, based solely on the wood we use, and even the water we use. So if you see a pic of something, there is no guarantee at your house what I use, will look the same. Nothing worse than a recipe that look bad when you use it.

Good luck.


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