How to Stain Mahogany Wood
Mahogany is an open-grained wood similar to oak and walnut. A smooth, flat finish requires the grain to be sealed with a wood filler prior to staining. Leaving the wood grain open to allow the character of the wood to show through and be felt by hand is another option.
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Things You'll Need
- Mahogany wood
- Wood filler
- Paint thinner
- Wood stain
- Nylon rag
- Staining brush, foam brush or clean cotton wiping cloth
- 120-grit and 150-grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
Instructions
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Sand the mahogany with 120-grit sandpaper. Make the piece as smooth as possible and remove any pencil marks that served as witness lines as well as any tooling marks from machining.
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Decide whether to close the pores of the wood's grain for a smooth finish.
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Mix the wood filler per the manufacturer's instructions if you've chosen to fill the pores. Paint thinner is typically used for mixing filler to a paste-like consistency.
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Press the filler into the mahogany using a nylon rag and apply against the grain. Work in sections small enough that the wood filler will not dry out before you finish applying filler.
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Wipe with the grain after adding wood filler across the piece.
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Allow the filler to dry for 24 hours before working the mahogany again.
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Sand the piece smooth with 120-grit sandpaper, then follow with a sanding using 150-grit sandpaper.
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Apply wood stain with a staining brush, foam brush or clean cotton cloth. Use caution not to flood the piece with stain, especially if the mahogany was not sealed with a wood filler. Keep a wet edge while wiping stain onto the wood.
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Wait five to ten minutes before using a clean cotton cloth (different than the one used to apply stain) to wipe off excess stain.
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Wipe the piece down with a tack cloth after the stain has had a chance to dry for 24 hours. Apply a protective finish such as polyurethane, varnish, shellac or tung oil.
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References
- Photo Credit Mahogany Bridge image by Ray Kasprzak from Fotolia.com
