How To Dispose Of Stain Rags

Appling Stain With Rag

We all know the dangers of woodworking.  Power tools, and even hand tools, when not used properly and without taking the proper precautions, can cause great harm, and we must be careful. There is a reason why we recommend eye …

Read more

Does Red Oak Stain Well?

Red Oak Board With Stain

We know oak, and we like oak for certain projects.  Where I live is not heavily oak country – maples, both swamp and sap maples, rule the area.  We like maple, too, but today we’ll discuss oak, and in particular, …

Read more

Can You Stain Over Varnish?

Varnish and Stain

When it comes to questions about woodworking, and in this instance, finishing a project, there are often follow-up questions, the answers to which are as equally important to the original answer.  “Can I” should also be followed up by “Should …

Read more

Does Birch Wood Stain Well?

Birch Board With Stain Applied

Have you ever used a piece of birch wood (solid wood) in a woodworking project?  Or are you more familiar with birch plywood, whether all birch or with a birch top veneer? If you have used solid wood in a …

Read more

Does Cedar Stain Well?

Cedar Board Stained

We recently wrote an article about painting cedar wood white.  While we wonder why anyone would want to since cedar is a beautiful wood on its own, we had been asked, and so we answered.  Everyone walks their own woodworking …

Read more

Can You Stain Wood Without Sanding?

Staining Wood

A lawyer friend of mine once told me most of his clients had as their first question, “Can I be sued?”  He always answered yes, but told them the more important question was whether they could be sued successfully.  That …

Read more

Does Poplar Stain Well?

Poplar Wood

A while back, we wrote a piece about poplar wood and asked whether poplar is stronger than pine.  We will not repeat our answer here, but we did provide some helpful information about poplar in the woodworking shop. That piece …

Read more

Can You Stain Over Shellac?

Stain and Shellac

When we began our woodworking hobby, we assumed there was a generally accepted order in which our project was to be finished.  If the wood was to be stained, we stained, and then we added a topcoat, whether polyurethane, varnish, …

Read more

Does Pine Stain Well?

Stained Pine Doors

While we have moved away somewhat from default staining our woodworking projects, turning instead to wood oils or products like Rubio Monocoat, we still will occasionally use a wood stain as part of finishing the project.  Stains come in a …

Read more

Why Is My Stainable Wood Filler Not Staining?

Stainable Wood Filler Not Staining

Wood filler is a substance used to fill imperfections in wood, such as nail holes, cracks, and dents. It is typically made from a combination of wood fibers, resin, and a hardening agent. It can be applied with a putty …

Read more

Can You Stain MDF?

Can You Stain MDF

Everything today has an acronym, and they have become a part of the English lexicon in everyday use now.  You probably use some of them, too, at the least when you are using a messaging app on your phone.  LOL, …

Read more

Should You Sand Between Coats of Stain?

Should You Sand Between Coats of Stain

Even we woodworking hobbyists want our projects to have a professional look when we’re done. We want the corners to be square; we want the tables to be level; we want the finish to be even and blotch-free; and we …

Read more

How To Fix Blotchy Gel Stain (Easy To Follow Steps)

Fix Blotchy Gel Stain

We know what blotchy means…patchy, covered with blotches, uneven, spotty.  When it comes to woodworking, we know also that we don’t like blotchy finishes.  A spotty and uneven finish on our project almost takes the fun out of woodworking after …

Read more

How to Stain Wood Filler & Avoid Common Problems

Wood Filler

As a seasoned woodworker, I’ve often relied on wood filler to address imperfections in wood projects. Wood filler is essentially a compound used for repairing and concealing flaws like nail holes, cracks, or gaps in wood. But, can you stain …

Read more