Which stain is best for pine furniture?

[canfossi]

I am having an entrance bench made out of pine, who does very fine work. I am looking for a warm stain like a honey pine or something similar, just a stain, no gel stain or sealer-all-in-one kind of thing, and not Minwax. Are there plain old stains out there. I want to put two coats of varathane on after the stain has dried. Can you recommend a good name? Thanks Chris

[RickG55]

Originally Posted by canfossi

I am having an entrance bench made out of pine, who does very fine work. I am looking for a warm stain like a honey pine or something similar, just a stain, no gel stain or sealer-all-in-one kind of thing, and not Minwax. Are there plain old stains out there. I want to put two coats of varathane on after the stain has dried. Can you recommend a good name? Thanks Chris

The problem with staining pine is that because of the uneveness of the grain, the stain can and will become very blotchy in places. It actually looks kind of muddy when this happens. The two best options are gel stain, which you've already indicated you don't want to consider, and pre-conditioning before you apply the stain. I've used both, and both work just fine. My own personal preference is for gel stain. I've also used Minwax pre conditioner and was very happy with the results. The varathane will go over each just fine. Just make sure you put oil-based over oil-based and water-based over water-based. Wait until the varathan has cured completely (you'll no longer be abble to smell it) before you use the furniture.

[NWMO]

Just redid all trim and doors in our home. All pine, all with a conditioner. It does not look like much....goes on like water, but makes all the difference in the world. It will still have "dark areas" of stain, but is much more uniform. You can tell which trim pieces were not conditioned. Some very heavy dark areas. Good Luck.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

I like MinWax Early American stain...don't rule it out.

RF

[Joshie]

I've had good luck with a color called Danish Walnut from Sherwin Williams. It's an oil based stain. Personally, I don't like polyurethane. It's very hard and brittle and when things are dropped on it it tends to crack. I prefer varnish. I usually use about six coats of varnish. This gives you a good depth of quality. I like it to be be very smooth to the touch. That's difficult to do with having a scratches with polyurethane.

As others have mentioned, you sometimes need something like a sanding sealer before using the stain. This can help to make the wood take stain evenly.

I've used Danish Walnut on oak, fir, and pine with good success.

[Harry Chickpea]

Absolutely go with a sealer or other prep. Without it, stained pine looks like my junior high shop project. I've never cared for pine furniture since then.

[Wisconsin Ann]

I'll second, third and fourth the recommendation for using a sealer on pine. MAN what a mess it looks if you just put stain on it. Test whatever you decide to use on a large cutoff from the project. That way you can see what the final project looks like,instead of messing up a fine piece of furniture. (Been there, done that)

My SO loves light colored wood (I'm more into cherry and walnut), and he uses "honey oak" for his projects. A lightly yellowed stain. Looks very richly colored. He uses a minwax stain (yes, it's straight stain, no varnish in it) and then an appropriate finish for whatever the object is used for.

Rockler has a good "primer" on stains and staining. How they work,what to look for, etc.

other names would be Cabot (good reputation) and "General Finishes" which has a verygood reputation among furniture finishers.

[Macybaby]

I'll be another to jump on the "use sealer" bandwagon. If work didn't have photobucket blocked, I'd post some pictures of my stained pine doors.

Honey pine is one of my favorite stain colors. I've used minwax with decent results, but can't stand any of the stain with finish in it.

Most recently I've used stain with a wipe on oil finish. Takes about 6 coats to get a decent sheen, but you don't have to worry about runs and you can easily add another coat to keep it looking fresh. I wanted an "old fashioned" look and this does the trick for me.

Cathy

[Old Vet]

Stan is personal. You may like light wood and another may like medium wood and another may like dark wood. Use a sealer before you use stain so they will go on better and not leave splotch in the wood. You can get it at Home Depot or any Hardware store. Good luck and let us know the results.

[Jolly]

Use a sealer.

Minwax has a nice, new color, Gunstock, that looks good on pine and other white-type woods.