What’s in this guide?
Before You Begin: Planning
There’s a lot to consider before you begin a staining project. In addition to cleaning and prepping the surface for stain, you’ll need a dust-free location to apply the stain. Our stain project guide includes how-to, tips, and videos that help.
Stain Ideas and Inspo
If you have wood furniture or a wood deck that’s in need of a fresh coat of stain and you’d like to take it in a new direction, check out ideas for staining in this stain project guide. While you can choose a wood-toned stain or a clear sealer, there also are colors like pink, red, green, and blue to consider. You may also want to create a pattern or stain different parts different colors.
Stain Supplies & Materials
There’s more to stain supplies than just a brush and a gallon of stain. Many stain experts recommend a sanding sealer applied to bare wood, and a top coat to protect the finish. There’s also a variety of brushes. Plus, you may want to combine stain from a few gallons into a larger container just to be sure there’s no visible discrepancy among the gallons of the ‘same’ color. ‘Same’ stain color might not actually be exactly the same.
Stain How-To
Creating a strategy for applying stain is one of the biggest parts of how to stain wood. Make sure you never get trapped in a corner on a deck or don’t have a way to protect furniture from a sudden rainstorm while it’s still drying. In our stain project guide, there’s also how-to help for laying stain along the grain, how many coats to apply based on the type of stain, and whether the stain needs to be stirred or shaken before using.
Stain Videos
Watch our series of how-to videos on staining decks and furniture. From applying clear stain to a bold stain, we’ve got tips and projects that detail what you need to know to be successful with your next project.
DIY or Ask a Pro
Sometimes a stain project can be too much to take on DIY-style, like an enormous deck or pergola. That’s when it’s time to call in a professional. A qualified residential remodeling contractor can bring structure to chaos by offering expertise and practical solutions when things don’t go as expected.
