How to Stain Wood Furniture

If you have a piece of wood furniture that you just cannot bear to part with no matter how bad the wood looks, you should consider applying a stain to the furniture. It is a lot cheaper than replacing the furniture and it is fairly easy to do. If you are prepared to put in a little time and work you can have your wood furniture looking like new in no time.

How to Stain Wood Furniture

1. Use a piece of course sandpaper to sand the wood.


2. Use a medium or fine grit sandpaper to sand the wood again. It should be sanded until the wood is even and smooth to the touch.


3. Use a cloth between sanding to remove the dust.


4. Use a rag or sponge to apply some mineral spirits to the wood to clean it. This will also bring out the color variations of the wood.


5. Use a clean cloth to apply a wood conditioner to the furniture. This can be purchased at your local home improvement store.


6. Use a sponge or a soft cloth to apply the stain of your choice. The stain should be applied following the grain of the wood. You can use either a water-based or an oil-based stain. The water-based stains are easy to clean up with water, but streaks easily. The oil-based stains are more user friendly, but they have a tendency to produce strong fumes and are much harder to clean up.


7. Apply a coat of polyurethane to protect the wood and the stain after the stain has dried completely.