Best Interior Wood Stains – Reviews and Buyer’s Guide | Wood Improve (2024)

FAQs

What wood is best for interior staining? ›

Generally speaking, the more porous a wood is, the better it will take stain. Oak, for example, has very large pores so it will stain quite easily. Cedar is also well known for its ability to take stain. Other woods that are commonly used with stain include ash and chestnut.

Semi-transparent stains are a popular choice. They provide more color to hide imperfections while allowing some wood grain and texture to show though. Also called translucent stain, semi-transparent stain is often natural wood-tones of red, brown or tan.

Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® Wood Stain delivers oil-like performance without the odor in a thick, fast-drying water-based formula. This product is available in a curated palette, hand-picked by Joanna Gaines to enhance the natural beauty of your interior wood surfaces.

Opaque: Sometimes called “solid deck stain,” this product contains the highest percentage of pigment and can protect wood the longest, requiring a recoat every 4 to 5 years. Opaque stain, also the densest, completely hides the wood grain.

Polyurethane is the most durable option for indoor woodworking projects. It's highly effective at protecting cabinets, doors, furniture, and floors from scratches and abrasive damage. Polyurethane is also water-resistance and is intended to enhance the natural appearance of the wood with a statin or mid-gloss finish.

The Cons of Staining Wood

While some stains can last up to five years, postponing re-staining a wood surface for too long can cause the job to become more complex and labour intensive. Even decks that are stripped and re-stained will still require maintenance every couple of years.

Using Gel Stain, you can stain wood furniture without sanding or stripping the old finish. It's so easy!

Water-based finishes, which are acrylics, give the wood no color nor do they darken as they age. They work well on lighter woods such as maple, birch or pine.

What is Joanna's favorite white? ›

Joanna Gaines has used Alabaster so much it's one of her favorite colors! She painted the main living areas of her own farmhouse Alabaster and she continually uses it in homes she designs on Fixer Upper as well.

The cabinets are coated in a featured color from the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines^® paint line, Locally Grown, which is a deep hunter green dusted with olive tones.

If the wood is going to be in direct exposure to wind, rain, and sunlight, an oil-based stain is the best choice. This is because it is more durable than a water-base and will provide a more complete protective layer against these elements.

Brown-toned stains are, without a doubt, one of the most classic options for furniture wood stain colors. These stains can help create both cool and warm designs and blend the old with the new.

However, this is not the case. Wood stains moisturize the wood in a way that allows the wood to soak in the newest layer of stain. If the freshly applied layer is unnecessary, that stain will not be able to absorb into the wood. Instead, it will create a tacky surface, which may be prone to early peeling.

We always recommend two coats of stain for any wood project, but you should only apply as much stain as the wood can absorb. Extremely dense hardwoods may only be able to absorb one coat of wood stain. The general rule of thumb is to apply only as much deck stain as the wood can absorb.

Polycrylic is a very popular sealant for wood projects. It is inexpensive and easy to apply. It provides strong coverage and is, in general, a great choice.

Some Exotic Wood Won't Take Stain

A few exotic woods, like teak and rosewood, naturally have a high oil concentration. This means that they tend to reject oil-based products like wood stain and polyurethane, because there is already so much oil in the wood that those products don't absorb properly. What is this?

What is the best wood finish? ›

LACQUER. Lacquer, specifically pre-catalyzed lacquer, is considered by many professional woodworkers to be the best finish for hardwood furniture, in terms of balance between beauty, protective qualities and ease of application and care.

Wood stains also protect the wood from weakening. Stain penetrates the first few layers of wood, keeping moisture from getting in there and leading to rot. Some might think that paint would do that job better, but paint only sits on the surface. Stain actually sinks into the wood, giving it much more protection.

Rubbing. Frantically rubbing a stain can make it spread further and also damage the weave of the fabric. Try gently dabbing the stain away first.

If the stain stays on too long, the wood will absorb too much stain. As a result, you may have a darker shade than you anticipated—or uneven coloring. Likewise, the stain can start to peel and flake off. The wood may also discolor or become blotchy.

Oil-Based Stains

Oil-based interior stain is what most people think of when it comes to wood stain. They are readily available and the easiest to use. They usually have a linseed oil binder that allows plenty of time to remove the excess before the stain dries.

Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if you're applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on raw wood. This rule applies to oil-based stains, water-based stains, and gel stains. 2. You can mix 2 or more stains together to make DIY custom stains.

If you stain a deck without cleaning and prepping it first, the results will look blotchy, uneven, and, well, amateur. Any time you save skipping the cleaning stage, you'll spend twice over repairing the botched job.

Apply a second coat of stain after the first has dried fully. This will usually produce a darker coloring, but it adds a step to the process and slows production. Substitute a glaze or gel stain for the liquid stain. Glazes and gel stains usually contain a higher ratio of pigment.

Lightening works best on open-grained wood; the effect of a lighter color is produced because the grain is filled with a light or white pigment. The lightening agent is sometimes thinned white oil-base paint, but more often it is pigmented oil stain.

They use a lot of black, white, and gray. These colors make their flips look chic and modern while providing buyers with a clean look almost anyone will love. You'll find them using black and white tile in almost every episode (whether it be the kitchen, the bathroom, or both), and they love choosing gray paint colors.

What is Joanna Gaines favorite GREY color? ›

Joanna loves using grays in her homes for the main living spaces. Some of her favorites are Sherwin Williams Mindful gray, Oyster Pearl, and Passive Gray. Repose Gray is one shade lighter than Mindful and would look fabulous for an open living space.

Sherwin Williams – Alabaster

Joanna painted the main living areas of her own farmhouse Alabaster and she continually uses it in homes she designs on Fixer Upper as well. It's a great color to use on walls and trim both.

The Eggshell sheen offers a velvet-like finish, and will give you a soft, warm look on the wall. Ideal for: Living Rooms.

What White Paint Does Joanna Gaines Use For Kitchen Cabinets? Joanna Gaines of HGTV's Fixer Upper is a big fan of Sherwin Williams Alabaster for painting kitchen cabinets white. It's actually a favorite among designers because it's not too warm or too cool.

Alabaster is a highly popular paint color choice for shiplap. And you want to know why? It's the color Joanna Gaines used in her home.

Made popular by Joanna Gaines, concrete countertops are a wonderful way to elevate a farmhouse chic kitchen or add a special touch to an industrial, modern kitchen.

Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines Cabinet Paint is a water-based acrylic product designed for surfaces such as kitchen and bathroom cabinets, trim, window frames and doors. It offers the hardness of a traditional oil-based paint in an acrylic formula.

Magnolia, a home & lifestyle brand by Chip & Joanna Gaines.

Hematoxylin and Eosin Stain (or H&E Stain)

Hematoxylin is the most commonly used nuclear stain in histology and pathology although, despite its long use and honorable history, the chemistry of the dye is still not fully understood.

Blood. Blood can be one of the most difficult stains to remove from your sheets, blankets, carpet, and furniture, especially if it's white. It has proteins that bind to the fabric, and its color is difficult to remove completely. While blood is difficult to remove, it's not impossible.

What are the most popular hardwood stains? ›

Start by considering three widely popular wood floor stain colors: Dark Walnut, Provincial, and Jacobean. They look great across many styles, from modern to traditional, because they complement a variety of color palettes. These colors have no red undertones and are popular for their versatility.

Water based wood stains can have difficulties penetrating the wood. If too much water based wood stain is applied the woods grain can lift, which is when the grain rises from the smooth wood surface. Water based wood stains can dry quickly and not allow enough time to create an even finish.

The oil stains take more work & time than the water stains, but they are not as durable as water-based stains. Also, oil-based stains are more prone to algae, mildew, and mould problems. They require more maintenance in the long term.

Pros: Even though the opaque pigments make for a less transparent stain, this also means that the wood is better protected against UV rays from the sun. Water-based stains are simple to use and clean-up is easy. Cons: Water-based stains work less well on horizontal surfaces, such as decks, as they do not wear well.

Oak, for example, has very large pores so it will stain quite easily. Cedar is also well known for its ability to take stain. Other woods that are commonly used with stain include ash and chestnut. Wood with smaller pores such as maple and birch do not stain as well.

Classic medium-toned browns such as cherrywood, mahogany, oak, maple, walnut, birch wood, and hickory are all timeless colors that never go out of style. Cherrywood is a deep, rich color that has a deep mahogany shade with warm tones of red or brown, often mixed with hints of pink and even purple.

Staining Wood is the optimal method for enhancing the look and feel of your wood, it's a great way to revitalise any interior wooden surface – giving it that subtly fresh feel with a dash of colour. As well as embellishing the complexion of your timber, wood stain also helps preserve the grain of the wood.

Oil-based stains are the best wood stain for furniture or any large wood surface because of the slower drying time, which gives the piece a more even finish. Oil-based stains tend to penetrate deeper, leaving behind a richer color that is easy to refresh by applying another coat.

If the wood is going to be in direct exposure to wind, rain, and sunlight, an oil-based stain is the best choice. This is because it is more durable than a water-base and will provide a more complete protective layer against these elements.

Polyurethanes are clear protective finishes designed to be used over bare or stained surfaces. Polyurethanes produce a finish which is extremely durable and resistant to abrasion. Old Masters Polyurethane is a clear self-leveling finish formulated to provide long-lasting protection on interior wood surfaces.

What are the disadvantages of staining wood? ›

The Cons of Staining Wood

While some stains can last up to five years, postponing re-staining a wood surface for too long can cause the job to become more complex and labour intensive. Even decks that are stripped and re-stained will still require maintenance every couple of years.

You want to apply the stain when the wood surface and air are in the temperature range of 50° – 90°F. You also want to avoid the direct application of sunlight. Lastly, do not apply a stain if there is a forecast of rain in the following one to two days, or all your hard work could end up being washed away.

Applying a topcoat sealer is not required, but a finish protects the stained wood from scratches and keeps it from fading over time. If applying a polyurethane wood finish with a brush, apply one to two coats. If using a spray can, hold 8 to 12 inches from the surface and apply two or three light coats.

Oil-based stains last for a long time and are more durable than water-based stains. Cons: Over-application means the stain will sit on the surface and pool up. Since oil does not dry in the air, it will remain until you rub it off with a cloth.