How To Apply Stain

I have been talking about refinishing my dining room table forever. It will be the third makeover since I got the table off a yard sale site years ago. This time, I am just refinishing the top. I will leave the legs white. It has taken me so long to figure what color and look I want. I have been testing out stain colors like crazy.

I first tried Special Walnut. I really liked the color but I wanted something a little lighter. In truth, I bought about six different miniature cans of Min Wax stain from Wal-Mart to test all the colors. My two favorites were Special Walnut and Early American. I chose Early American because it was slightly lighter and I like the tones of it. Today I was at Home Depot and even bought two more cans of different colors to try. I know, I’m out of control. I just want to make sure I have it right before I put it on my actual table. So for now, Early American is winning.

I had this pallet board I made laying around. I figured it would be perfect to test all my colors. I took 1×6 pine boards and laid them horizontally (cut to my desired size). Then, I took two more vertical 1×6 boards (cut to the length of the horizontal boards) and place them at each end of my horizontal boards. I used wood screws down the vertical boards to secure it all in place. I originally had planned on this being the top of our toy box we made. I never ended up putting it on because I did not want my kids smashing their fingers. It sat in the garage forever until this little stain experiment.

I wanted to make a quick video about how I apply my stain to the wood. Go check it out on my YouTube channel. I found some old soft cotton pants I did not want any more and cut them up. I got a lot of rags cut out of those pants to use for my stain testing ( you can also buy lint-free rags or use an old T-shirt). Then, I applied Minwax wood conditioner. I did not want the raw wood to soak up a lot of the stain. After the conditioner dried for about thirty minutes to an hour, I then applied my Early American stain. I take my rag, dip it lightly in stain, and then wipe it on the wood in the direction of the grain. Super easy. Continue to do this until all of the piece of wood is covered. After you wipe the stain on, let it cure for twenty-four hours. Really, applying stain is so simple. Next, I will be showing you all about liming wax. I have some expected to arrive next week. I love the look of liming wax and can’t wait to show you all about it.

P.S. I am loving my new magnolia wreath from Hobby Lobby.