Scrap table take 2

Step 8 Stain & varnish

Staining is an art ( I learned that myself... had to sand down my surface again after I messed up the first time I stained)

The best way I found is fairly simple (mind you, please google this, there's plenty of tutorials on staining wood). Baiscally take a brush in your right hand (if righty) and a clean rag (which will be thrown away after) in your left hand.

Apply stain with a brush, after when ready to dip your brush again, use your rag to wipe down the stained wood following the grain of the wood. This makes for a great finish!

If you're not satisfied with the color, apply a second coat to make it darker ( I used 2 coats on mine).

Once done it's time to varnish. Varnishing is also fairly simple. just brush in on with a clean brush but don't wipe... do the whole surface and let dry. Once dry sand it down with a very fine grit sandpaper (I used 600 grit). Wash the surface of dust and apply another coat.

I decided to go with a high gloss finish so I applied quite a few coats of varnish (5 in total). sand down between every coat, the final coat can be brushed down with 0000 grade steel wool.

Voilà, une belle table neuve!

Comments

[thelawyer]

Lovely table! I find the best way of applying stain for a blotch-free finish is to apply it with a clean cotton cloth (an old t-shirt/rag is ideal), bunched up into a pad. Putting only a small amount of stain on the cloth at a time, 'buff' it into the wood in line with the grain. The cotton absorbs some of the stain, releasing it evenly on to the surface. It works well.

[GreyBird]

In South Africa we have a Gel Stain, like the name says, it's a gel and not a runny liquid. No mistakes if you apply it with a sponge, but be sure to have allot of sponges as the gel stain eats up the sponge!

Thanks for the advice on using normal stain!

[jello666]

That's the way I do it.

[marjorieallea]

Beautiful table...

[schmiez]

The 100 grit doesnt seem high enough to get a smooth finish (but the photos prove otherwise). Is that a function of the wood you used? I'm finishing a similar one, but have found I need 150 to get down to the point that the table wont "catch" on books, papers, beer bottles, etc...

[logikly]

You're right... that's an error in what I wrote (I'll correct it) I actually used 400 grit and then 600 grit for the varnish

[maxman]

Thanks for posting this. It is truely an inspiration.

[Papa Sprinkles]

How long does it take to make this project?

[logikly]

I didn't count the exact time but I'd say about 100 hours of work overall

[jwilliamsen]

Soft woods (pine, fir, cedar, redwood, etc) and even some hardwoods like Cherry can be very difficult to stain without "blotching". Some other ideas (beyond what you mentioned) to help achieve a consistent blotch-free finish would be to use a gel stain, or, a "stain control" product which is essentially a very thin finish coat that you apply to your project to seal the pores of the wood before staining. You can make your own "stain control" product by mixing your final finish about 1:3 finish to solvent, applying a light coat to your project, and letting it cure. When you apply your stain it will be much easier to control the consistency and depth of color. Be sure to test your proposed finish techniques on scrap pieces first so you can make sure you like the results and avoid those nasty surprises :)