How to Stain Wood Furniture

You found the perfect wood chair, but it needs to be stained. Or maybe you found a great table at a rummage sale, but it has an icky layer of ecru paint on it. Don’t panic. Even if you have no previous experience, you can stain wood furniture. The great thing about staining wood furniture yourself is that you can choose the exact color you want.

Things You'll Need

• • Chemical stripper if needed
• • Sandpaper
• • Chemical wood cleaner or steel wool
• • Tack cloth, cloth, rags
• • Brush
• • Cotton gloves
• • Wood stain
• • Protective finish (optional)

Instructions

Stain Wood Furniture

1. Prepare the surface of the wood furniture. This the most important part of the process. Bare wood is easiest to stain. If you are starting with bare wood, move to Step 2. If the wood furniture is already stained or painted, it must be stripped. There are a number of methods for stripping furniture, such as sanding with sandpaper or applying a chemical stripper. Once you’ve stripped the furniture, wait for 24 hours. Check for bits of paint or other finish you missed and get rid of it. Once the wood surface is bare, move to Step 2.

2. Clean the surface of the wood furniture with an after-stripper cleaner, lacquer thinner or 0000 steel wool. If you choose to use a chemical cleaner, make sure the area you’re working in is well ventilated. Don’t use water to clean the surface of your wood furniture. This will raise the grain of the wood. If you use steel wool to clean the surface of the wood furniture, put on a pair of cotton gloves once you’ve finished cleaning and lightly run your hand over the surface of the furniture. If the gloves don’t snag, move to Step 3. If the gloves do snag, sand the surface with fine sandpaper until smooth. Always sand with the grain and use a tack cloth to remove any sanding residue.

3. Apply wood stain to the areas of the wood furniture you want stained. Stain can be applied with a brush, cloth, roller or even your bare hands. Make sure you apply the stain evenly.

4. Wipe off the excess wood stain with a cloth after it has been applied to the furniture and let the wood furniture dry overnight.

5. Apply a protective finish over the wood stain. This is an optional step. A clear coat of polyurethane or other protective finish will help keep your wood furniture looking great for years.

Tips & Warnings

• When picking a stain, choose one that is no darker than the color you want your wood furniture to be. If the stain dries a lighter color than you like, apply another coat and let it penetrate. This will add more color, but you may end up with a look that isn’t quite what you originally had in mind.

• Don't seal the wood before you stain. If you seal first and then stain, the stain will have trouble penetrating the sealer.