I have been staining a pine frame. I chose a stain that I thought would be dark, but I want it darker. Can I switch to a darker stain? Or would it be better to continue applying coats of the stain I am currently using?
Jules
New pine doesn't take stains well at all. You could knock the stuffing out of it with caustic soda, which attacks the resin and makes the wood more porous. Vandyke crystals are good for this sort of thing but dark coloured pine never looks right to me.
You could do either, but it's safer to just keep on applying extra coats.
Dave
Assuming its a "proper" stain rather than a tinted coating it won't make much difference how much you apply once it's initially soaked in - you'll just wipe off the excess. A tinted varnish on top of stain will make it darker, but it's a bit crap really. OTOH no matter how dark a stain you use some parts of the timber will stay fairly light.
I don't use stain (£££'s),...Boot polish well worked into the wood is cheaper.
black,tan,cherry or brown.
Is it really stain (e.g. Cuprinol), or a coloured coating (probably water based)? If it's stain, buy some that's darker, and use that.
I stained pine with 'Antique' pine stain, which is quite subtle. I didn't find applying extra coats seemed to make much difference. If you are OK with a wax finish, try applying a coloured wax to deepen the colour and finish the surface.
Andy.
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