Staining new Pella casement windows

[Brent Bolin]

They are pine on the inside.

From what I've read the process should go like this -

Lightly sand with 180 grit or finer sand paper.

Pella recommends applying a wood conditioner. Think Minwax makes a product.

Apply stain with either a brush or rag. Apply again if needed to achieve the desired color. Think Minwax also makes a product.

Finally, apply three coats of exterior-grade finish, such as a polyurethane finish

Anybody have any pointers

Thanks

[ransley]

My pellas were ready to stain no sanding needed. Dirt or fingerprints should be cleaned with alcohol or windex and that area might need sanding, you need a pre stain like Bix or the pine wont stain evenly, its thinned Shellac, Oil finishes darken a bit water base wont darken much, I just used water base poly as the color and finish. Minwax stains I find hard to get a color I like but try it. The color of wet stain is your finished color. Experiment on scrap pine for your color and finish.

[Brent Bolin]

How did you apply the stain and pre stain with a rag or brush?