When staining wood furniture, it is significant to know just how vital sanding and experimentation are, as these 2 elements of the process can dramatically impact the general aesthetics of your finished product.

Most people instinctively understand the importance of sanding as a requirement to the wood staining process, although they do not fully grasp the reasons why. Simply put, sanding "opens the pores" of the wood, enabling the stain to soak into it. Use a new grain sand paper (220 vs. 240) and you will see a remarkably completely different result, but don't try this on your new bare wood dining room table. Instead, before you start staining your wooden furnishings, go to Lowe's or Home Depot and purchase a wood shelf of the same kind of wood that your pieces of furniture are fabricated from, and practice on that. Mark off 6 inch sections on the shelf and sand each segment with a new grain of paper before staining. That will give you a good idea of what you need to use on your furnishings.

In a similar vein, experiment (on another board) with numerous sanding techniques before actually sanding the pieces of furniture. Many people are charmed with belt sanders because it's faster, but I have discovered the outcomes to be less than satisfactory. Besides, when staining wooden furniture, often I'm creating a heirloom piece, and it's simply worth the extra time. Once more, try both on a practice board and use the one which serves your personal requirements the best.

Staining wood furniture is more art than science, and one of many things that leads to colour variation in the wood is the fact that the stain is left on different sections of the pieces of furniture slightly longer when compared to others. Generally, you should attempt to stain and wipe all segments of the furniture in as even a manner as possible. That said, there will probably be differences and that's fine. Some amount of variation adds appeal to the piece, but keep in mind that when staining wood furniture, the more time the stain stays on the wood before wiping, the darker your end result. As with the sanding methods, experiment on a practice board to learn what (approximate) timeframe works perfectly for you.

Staining wood furniture is a hobby that anyone of most any age could quickly grasp the basics of and enjoy. It's not an "instant gratification" hobby. The effects build slowly, generally over the span of a number of days, and if care is taken up front, if a bit of testing is performed before the actual staining begins, your results will be spectacular, and you'll have a piece you may actually be proud of.