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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. Of course, almost everyone understands that sanding is important, even if they don't fully comprehend the why. Put simply, sanding opens up the pores of the wood, allowing more of the stain to soak in. If you use a different "grain" of sandpaper, you will get a different staining result. DON'T try this, untested, on a new piece of furniture, however! Instead, pick up a cheap, unfinished wood shelf (made from the same type of wood as the furniture you're thinking of staining), and do your testing on that! 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 more art than science, and one of the things that leads to color variation in the wood is the fact that the stain is left on different parts of the furniture slightly longer than others. In general, you should attempt to stain and wipe all segments of the furniture in as even a manner as possible. That said, there will be variations and that’s fine. Some amount of variation adds character to the piece, but remember than when staining wood furniture, the longer the stain stays on the wood before wiping, the darker your result. As with the sanding techniques, experiment on a practice board to discover what (approximate) timeframe works best for you. 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!
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To learn more about this and related topics, see Bare Wood Furniture, www.bare-wood-furniture.com
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