Staining Tips?....

[The Grizz]

I found mine had little bubbles to when applied but they disappeared as it dried.

[monocus]

do not use a brush or sponge-a brush will leave air bubbles and a sponge will leave sponge behind-use a staining pad for finishing-lightly sand in between coats

[The Grizz]

I used a 2" wide brush for stain with no issues, finished coat was smooth.

[Brightwhite]

NEVER shake stain or polyurethane, only stir as shaking really doesn't do anything because all the good stuff sits at the bottom of the gallon, shaking will also cause air bubbles.

I'm on my phone so I don't have time to read the whole thread till I get home. But I've been dealing with painting/stain products for about 10 yrs now. So I hope I can help out in the thread!

[Maverick00]

Originally Posted by Brightwhite

NEVER shake stain or polyurethane, only stir as shaking really doesn't do anything because all the good stuff sits at the bottom of the gallon, shaking will also cause air bubbles.

I'm on my phone so I don't have time to read the whole thread till I get home. But I've been dealing with painting/stain products for about 10 yrs now. So I hope I can help out in the thread!

awesome thatd be great thanks! Im obviously missing something here. Im not shaking the stain/poly, im stirring it before use with a wooden stick. Im only noticing the bubbles as i start spreading the stain/poly on the wood. I cant see air bubbles in the can or while stirring. Its as if the brush is the cause. Thats weird Grizz, because the bubbles on mine dry as they sit and give the finish a rough texture.

[Maverick00]

Well I tried various methods with no success. I got ****ed off and left it for a week. Friday i went back to rona and bought stain and polyurethane containers separately along with minwax brushes specifically for stain and poly. I conditioned the wood once again before adding the stain which (you guys were right) is a must. Then i applied two coats of stain using the method listed on the can. It worked GREAT. I then applied a coat of poly this morning, once again air bubbles appeared just as bad as the 2and1 i used previously. I thought for F sakes in my head, but as it dried the bubbles did get smaller. The poly is now dry and looks alot better than it did with the two in one. The finish is still alittle rough but with a quick sand and one more coat of poly im hoping it will lay even flatter. Ill try to get a pic and update after im finished, perhaps monday. So in my experience i wouldnt use the 2 in 1 again. Im not sure what i was doing wrong but i just couldnt get it together. I should say I am doing this inside (windows open) and my current tank is in the vicinity. I read air bubbles in poly could be caused by high humidity in the area of painting. This could be a factor..

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Maverick00

Well I tried various methods with no success. I got ****ed off and left it for a week. Friday i went back to rona and bought stain and polyurethane containers separately along with minwax brushes specifically for stain and poly. I conditioned the wood once again before adding the stain which (you guys were right) is a must. Then i applied two coats of stain using the method listed on the can. It worked GREAT. I then applied a coat of poly this morning, once again air bubbles appeared just as bad as the 2and1 i used previously. I thought for F sakes in my head, but as it dried the bubbles did get smaller. The poly is now dry and looks alot better than it did with the two in one. The finish is still alittle rough but with a quick sand and one more coat of poly im hoping it will lay even flatter. Ill try to get a pic and update after im finished, perhaps monday. So in my experience i wouldnt use the 2 in 1 again. Im not sure what i was doing wrong but i just couldnt get it together. I should say I am doing this inside (windows open) and my current tank is in the vicinity. I read air bubbles in poly could be caused by high humidity in the area of painting. This could be a factor..

funny you should mention that i was just about to ask are you staining outside or in the cold perhaps???

[Mrfish55]

How long did you let the stain sit before clear was applied? If you did 2 coats of stain you should wait 48-72 hrs before topcoat. Make sure you are carefull with sanding the clear, if you go thru to the stain it will show on the next coat, the first coat of clear is normally the most difficult as you can get airbubbles from the wood pores, subsequent coats should flow nicer, if you are not using water base poly you can also thin 10-20 % this will slow dry time and flow better giving bubbles time to off gas before the poly flashes. Pine is a pita to get consistent nice finish, took me a long time and lots of experimenting to find results I could live with, good luck and post up some pics.