How to fix blotchy stain on Dressed Pine?

[s0809tw]

Hi there,

I recently used the DAR Pine Premium to build a bookshelf. However, when I applied the stain Feast Watson 250ml Old Baltic , it shows these terrible blotches:

The funny thing is I did apply the Feast Watson 250ml Sanding Sealer before I applied the stain, but it doesn’t seem to have helped in the end.

Am I missing something here? Is this normal blotchiness expected when staining pine wood, or could there be some unknown coating left on the dressed pine? (Because of the cloudy look of the blotches.)

I did not sand the dressed pine prior to applying the sanding sealer and stain, as it already has very smooth surface.

Would re-staining it with a darker colour like Feast Watson 250ml Black Japan cover this imperfection? (I really trying to avoid re-sand and re-stain 😞)

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @s0809tw. It's fabulous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about staining timber.

It looks like the blotchiness is caused by the stain not penetrating the timber consistently. In my experience, unsealed raw pine generally takes stain much more evenly than what you’re seeing here.

My guess is that the sanding sealer is preventing the stain from soaking into the timber. Did you sand the sealer back after applying it? Sanding sealer is meant to fill the timber pores, but it should be completely sanded off the surface so that the stain can penetrate. If it’s left sitting on the surface, the stain can’t get into the wood, which can result in the blotchy appearance you’re seeing.

Unfortunately, simply applying a darker stain like Black Japan will not hide the blotches, since the underlying problem is the uneven penetration. I would suggest giving the timber a good sand right back to the raw timber.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[s0809tw]

Hi Mitchell,

Thanks for getting back to me promptly. Appreciated. 

No, I did not sand it again after applying the sanding sealer - and sounds like that might be the root cause of my staining issue 😅.

What sanding grit would you suggest for the sanding? 180? or 220? or in steps?

Thanks.

Steven

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @s0809tw 

I used smooth pine as well for my foyer bench top. Mainly as an experiment in seeing how it would go.

I did notice that the sticker (price/barcode) residue did cause the oiling to stand out in some sections (yeah I was lazy and didnt sand the timber as figured it was very smooth) Next time I would use some soapy water and let dry I think.

So maybe there was a chemical compound left on the boards? Or maybe the staining really enhanced the diffeence of the timber? 

I would suggest to sand before staining if you wnat the imperfections to have the best chance of going 😕 I know its more work but better to start with a blank slate (piece of timber) then try and figure layers of possible issues.

Front door and entrance foyer update Steps 5 and 6 show the oiling of the dressed pine pieces.

Dave

[s0809tw]

Thanks for the info Dave.

No, I didn’t spill or apply any chemical compounds on the boards. They were stained in the same condition as when I purchased them from my local Bunnings.

As Mitchell suggested, it’s most likely because I didn’t sand the boards after applying the sealer, and this might be the root cause of my issue 😅

Steven

[MitchellMc]

I think 220 would be sufficient @s0809tw. You just want to knock the sealer back until you hit the timber, then stop.

Mitchell

[s0809tw]

Thanks Mitchell.

I will give that a try.

Cheers