How to Stain Bamboo Furniture

Bamboo is typically very light. If you have a piece of bamboo that you'd like darker, you may decide that you'd like to try to stain it. Maybe you like the color of your bamboo, but you'd like to protect it with a coat of sealer. Sealing bamboo is not difficult, but you must follow simple instructions to ensure that your stain job will stick and look good. Follow these steps to stain bamboo furniture.

Things You'll Need

• sandpaper
• Stain
• Paint brush
• Rags

Instructions

1. 

   The first thing that you'll need to do is to stain your bamboo. Bamboo has a natural protective coating on it, and stain will not adhere to this. Begin by lightly sanding your bamboo with 220 grit sandpaper.

2. 

   Once that you have sanded your bamboo, it's time to start staining. Choose the stain color that you'd like to use and if possible, test it on a small area to make sure that you like the way it looks. Keep in mind that you'll be adding more than one coat and it will get darker as you go.

3. To stain the bamboo furniture, apply the stain with a paint brush and wipe it off with a rag. Continue to do this process until you have completed the entire piece of furniture.

4. Once the first coat has dried, you'll need to sand the furniture again. Sand very lightly, and then add another coat of stain. You will likely need 2 or 3 coats of stain, total.

5. Once you are done staining, consider lightly sanding one more time and adding a high-quality sealer to protect your bamboo furniture.

Tips & Warnings

• Always stain in a well-ventilated area. Outside is best.

• When using stain or sealer, make sure that you dispose of your stain rags properly and carefully.