Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | May 31, 1999 07:21pm | #1

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   Ray,

   What you need to do is to "condition" the pine. This can be done with a conditioner available at almost any paint store. However the product I use is manufactured by Bix and is available I believe through the Home Depot chain or see: http://www.bixmfg.com/prestain.htm

   They have a conditioner that also includes the stain and is pretty slick and works very well.

   Good Luck

1. 
   Guest_ | May 31, 1999 07:51pm | #2

   *You might try a gel-stain, Ray. It's wiped on, and it stays put until it dries. The thing is, you don't wipe it off like the instructions for regular oil-stains. Make sure it's evenly applied and all the rag or brush marks are in the direction of the grain. Zar is a common brand. You've probably seen their ads on TV for graining metal doors. I haven't used Bix, so I don't know if it's the same sort of thing. A dark coat can be built up with an oil-stain also, but it takes forever, and any varnish coats might pull it off if it's not completely cured.

1. 
   Guest_ | May 31, 1999 10:40pm | #3

   *Ray, I've had the same problems you mention, and used the above solutions, with varied results. Lately, I've been using water-soluable aniline dyes (I get mine from Woodworker's Supply). I've been doing this with southern yellow pine, and have gotten a nice, even color. Pre- sanding with the grain helps a lot. Don't know how it works on white pine.Good luck, BB

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 01, 1999 04:36pm | #4

   *We do alot with Native White Pine (local mills, not the knotty crap most yards carry). We have found that the best thing to do is sand to a mirror finish, or uniform finish. It seems the areas that are kind of rough looked blotchy, the smooth areas look great with great grain.The sugar pine I have worked with stained well too. Then again, I just realized we stain all of our trim before installation, the furniture is stained tabletop as well. We use solvent based stain and flood the surface for a few minutes, and wipe excess off. Trying to apply & remove immediately caused variations piece to piece, but not treally blotchy.-Rob

2. 
   David_Bell | Jun 02, 1999 12:46am | #5

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   Water based (Analine) dyes are cheap, very easy to use, mix, etc. They give a very uniform color but don't accentuate grain as nice as oil stains. They "raise the grain", meaning they leave tiny hair-like wood fibers sticking up which you need to sand off with 220 grit or finer before you apply varnish.

3. 
   Ray_Worthen | Jun 02, 1999 12:46am | #6

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   Does anyone have an idea how to obtain a uniform stain on pine window jams. I have tried a first coat of thinned shellac with no luck. I also tried a pre-staining sealer. Both sealed the wood to the point it would not accept any color at all. On the other hand, stain alone produces a very splotchy result. I have purchased pint cans of nearly every brand of oil based wiping stain avaliable trying to fined a satisfactory finish.