Specrite FJ Panel ( Pine ) - Does it need pre-stain or tannin remover before I stain it?

[ccyounger]

Hi, newbie here.  I bought a Specrite FJ Panel (Pine) to make an outside table and benches.

I have chosen my stain (water-based, designed for exterior timber), but i've seen some advice that for pine it's important to first apply a pre-stain (which i believe is just another name for a tannin remover).

Do the Specrite Pine panels need this?  Or has it already had this done and I can go straight to staining?

Thank you

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ccyounger. It's fabulous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about preparing Specrite panels.

Being made from softwood, Specrite Pine panels are ideally suited to indoor applications. If you were going to use a panel outdoors, you'd be much better off with hardwood. I believe the Pine panel is our only softwood. Any Pine that is used outside needs to be chemically preserved to ensure it doesn't start decaying. A stain alone would not prevent decay from setting in. If it was thoroughly saturated with exterior furniture oil or coated with an exterior varnish, then you could potentially use it outside with a limited lifespan, but I still wouldn't recommend you do so.

Pine has relatively low tannin levels, so I presume the pre-stain is for wood conditioning. These products ready the timber to accept an even coating of stain and help prevent blotchiness and minimize any grain raising that may occur. Feast Watson 1L Timber Primer would be suitable for this purpose.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell