Staining Pine Wood Stairs

To stain pine wood you ll need to seal it before brushing on the stain to prevent the wood from soaking up more pigment in some areas than others.

Staining pine wood stairs.

Dark stains on pine can look horrible. Wood stains are probably most commonly used on pine boards and plywood. Learning how to stain pressure treated wood can extend the life and improve the appearance of decks fencing picnic tables retaining walls and other exterior wood projects. Get a wood stain from a home improvement store and brush it onto the stair treads with a bristle brush.

To get the wood ready for staining you need to hand sand each tread thoroughly. Some softwoods like pine and some hardwoods such as cherry turn blotchy when stained. In order to prep your wood sand it with a low grit sandpaper to remove any inconsistencies. Unfortunately when woodworkers try to duplicate that color on new pine by using stain the results are usually disappointing.

In this case consider applying a pre stain wood conditioner which seeps into the wood fibers to seal the material and prevent the uneven absorption that causes blotching. Antique pine often has a dark mellow color. Staining pine make this inexpensive wood look like a million bucks. It s possible to stain pine stair treads but it takes more prep work to get good results with pine than it does with harder woods.

Typically pine is the cheapest lumber you can buy and its light color can make it seem like a blank canvas. In this video i show you how to stain pine wood. It is a simple diy tutorial and i use a scrap piece of pine wood to test the stain color that i will be us. Wear gloves when handling pressure treated wood.

In addition to blotchiness the softer areas between the grain lines soak up stain like a sponge creating an unnatural look. Yeah but what about drab boring wood. The photo below shows the dramatic difference between the raw and sealed areas of pine using the same stain color. Pressure treated wood contains preservatives to prevent rot and insect damage but it remains vulnerable to the sun wind moisture and dirt.

The main problem is that pine tends to soak up stain unevenly resulting in a blotchy unnatural appearance. Follow the directions on the can of wood stain and make sure that you cover the entire surface of each stair by moving in long strokes and going with the grain as you apply. Seal pine before wood staining.