stand painting options

[bdogfish]

Hello guys, I have question in regards to painting or staining a stand that is made of pine. The stand I have is made out of pine. I just finished sanding all the clear varnish off of it and have it back down to the wood.
What I am trying to achive is to get the grain of the wood to stand out. I do not just want to coat it in clear but darken the pine a dark cherry color.
Any recomendations as to the process of getting the stand to look nice.

 

[DonW]

Your sure its pine? If so your going to have a heck of a time getting dark stain to not be very blotchy. Sand or scrape it down. Then sand it all the way to 320. Apply a laquer based sanding sealer then stain. Test a spot on the back of the stand or get a scrap board to try i on. I really doubt you will get good results without spraying analine.

Don

 

[Milah]

Finishing wood is like a lot of things associated with the hobby, there are a lot of different ways to achieve a relative level of success. With that said, here is what works for me. I would first use a "pre-stain conditioner" to condition the pine. Pine, being a soft wood, needs conditioned to take the stain more evenly. Immediately after conditioning the wood, coat it with the stain color of your choice (sounds like cherry). The length of time that you leave the stain on the wood determines how dark the color will be. Usually no longer than 15 minutes, wipe the wood down with a rag to remove any excess stain on the surface. If the color is not dark enough, stain again, leaving the stain on longer. Allow the stain to dry for at least 24 hrs. Top coat with laquer. I thin my laquer with laquer thinner to 1 part thinner to 2 parts laquer. Apply with a soft brush with the thinnest coat you can achieve. Two to three coats of laquer at a minimum. Laquer is easily sanded between coats to remove any imperfections. You can also use steel wool after the final coat to blend the finish to a uniform sheen. Good luck.

 

[bdogfish]

Thanks guys, I have been looking online for more tips. I do get confussed on the snading of the laquer in between coats. What grits to use in the process? How are the steps in the process? I will look into it some more. Is painting the stand better than staining?

 

[DonW]

Thanks guys, I have been looking online for more tips. I do get confussed on the snading of the laquer in between coats. What grits to use in the process? How are the steps in the process? I will look into it some more. Is painting the stand better than staining?

600 between coats, I couldnt tell you about brushing, I only spray. Pine is a coin toss as to wether it will turn out decent or not. Ive been an artisian woodworker for many years and have never seen pine stain without being blotchy. Anilines produce much better results but take practice. I'll see if I can find something soft around my place thats done with aniline and take a pic for you. The difference between stain and aniline is huge.

Don

 

[DonW]

The round bud vase I did in a dark cherry aniline on a pine log. The little desk organizers are soft even rotted maple with a honey/pink. All have a laquer top coat.

Don

 

[bdogfish]

Ok I see what you mean by blotchy. It will never come out smoth and look as one with wood and grain, right? I might reconsider how to go about painting he stand any ideals?
I have also thought about painting it all black then using fleck to make it rock textured? Do you think that it is beter to use spray paint or paint as the base color? Either way thanks for the input, it really helpa a lot.