Replies

1. 
   DanH | May 03, 2010 09:03pm | #1

   It's possible that the wood got some sort of oil or such on it during processing -- might try washing it with something.  I had problems with our deck when I stained and it showed up all the spots where I'd dripped sweat while sanding, so I took to washing before staining.

1. 
   Hokuto | May 04, 2010 10:09pm | #9

   blotchy pine staining

   I had the same thing happen ten years ago when mixing pine varieties while building a boot bench. The worst was New Zealand pine, which started out clear and white but blotched horribly when stained. There are countermeasures, as others have suggested here. Try googling for your keywords, since you should find lots of tips; for a start,

   here are some.

   
2. 
   calvin | May 03, 2010 09:17pm | #2

   A different "pine" perhaps

   I've found there are what appear to be pine- work, stain, sand differntly.

   I don't know if I can say for sure anything about what Radiata Pine is, where it comes from  etc, but that wood seems to be "odd".

   The sanding dust is more "pasty".  Where white pine when you let it powder down out of your hand-what goes as Radiata-falls in a clump.

   And, some doors like Dan suggests appear to have a "glaze" on them.  Perhaps that alcohol fix is something to try.  Stain that can't get into the wood evenly will spotch out.

1. 
   DanH | May 03, 2010 09:18pm | #3

   Of course the other thing that might help is a pre-stain sealer, to even out the "suck" of the wood.

1. 
   calvin | May 03, 2010 09:21pm | #4

   He's tried that ............

   and I have used the prestain conditoner b/4 many times-but sometimes it just doesn't "take".

   Anybody done anything with thinned out shellac or some other sealer?  Does something like that limit you in how you apply the stain (wipe on/off? is what I'm used to.)

1. 
   coonass | May 03, 2010 10:05pm | #5

   Calvin,

   Zinnser Sealcoat shellac works on any finish. Thin almost half with alcohol. The stain sits on top of the shellac so no blotches.

   KK

1. 
   calvin | May 03, 2010 10:39pm | #6

   Ken

   How do you broadcast the stain onto the wood?

   Does it still take to the wood so the grain shows stained?

2. 
   coonass | May 04, 2010 05:30pm | #7

   Brush on rag off. Use an oil stain like Minwax and add a squirt of poly to set the stain . That way you can build on it and the stain won't disolve. I have even drug the stain with a dry brush to make fake grain. Faux bois.

   Remember in the old days using shellac on knot holes so they would not bleed? Shellac is a great sealer even if Frenchy says it.

   KK

3. 
   calvin | May 04, 2010 07:37pm | #8

   Thank you sir very much.

   That's one of those things I probably remembered one lonely night, trying to finish...................

   Been quite a while since that lonely night.

   Good thing too.

4. 
   Gough | May 05, 2010 06:10pm | #10

   or try a gel stain

   We generally  use SealCoat cut 1:1 with MeOH as well.  After it dries, we sand with #320, remove the dust, and apply a gel stain.  It may take a second application of the stain to get the color as dark as the rest of the door.

   What I like about using the thinned SealCoat ("spit coat") is that there isn't thenarrow time window as there is with most of the other pre-stain conditioners.