Wood Staining - The Importance of Sanding and Experimentation - By: Thomas Bridleman

When beginning a wood furniture staining project, do not underestimate or downplay the importance of sanding and experimentation, as these are two key components to creating a truly excellent finished piece.

Most people intuitively understand the significance of sanding as a pre-requisite to the wood staining process, even if 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 different grain sand paper (220 vs. 240) and you’ll see a notably different result, but don’t try this on your new bare wood dining room table. Instead, before you start staining your wood furniture, go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy a wood shelf of the same type wood that your furniture is made of, and practice on that. Mark off six inch sections on the shelf and sand each section with a different grain of paper before staining. That will give you a good idea of what you want to use on your furniture.

In a similar vein, experiment (on another board) with various sanding techniques before actually sanding the furniture. Many people are enamored with belt sanders because it’s faster, but I have found the results to be less than satisfactory. Besides, when staining wood furniture, usually I’m creating an heirloom piece, and it’s simply worth the extra time. Again, try both on a practice board and use the one that serves your personal needs the best.

Staining wood furniture is at least as much about the art as it is about the science, and one thing you'll learn very quickly is that you'll have areas of darker and lighter stain, depending on how long you let the stain "set" on the wood before wiping. To keep an even look, always try to apply and wipe in as even a manner as you can. Even so, there WILL BE some variation, and that's okay. A small amount of color variation adds character to the piece, but remember that in general, the longer you let the stain sit, the darker the final result will be.

Furniture staining is a hobby that nearly anybody can do, or at least help with. Almost anyone can grasp the basics of it and enjoy working toward the finished product. Keep in mind, however, that this is not a hobby of instant gratification. It can take DAYS to finish a piece out, but if you take the time to test on the front end, you can be all but assured that your results will be spectacular!

Never underestimate the power of sanding and experimentation when beginning a wood furniture staining project. These two things can dramatically impact your finished product.

To learn more about this and related topics, See Bare Wood Furniture, http://www.bare-wood-furniture.com