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I spent $80 on a fancy wood stain that looked like mud on my pine shelves
The can said 'rich walnut' but it just turned everything a weird gray-brown. Has anyone found a good stain that actually works on softwood?
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the_ben25d ago
Pre-stain conditioner is the only thing that saves pine. Water based stains work way better too. I made the same mistake on a desk. Went with General Finishes water based stain in Java. Came out even and rich. No blotchiness. Conditioner plus gel stain is another solid combo.
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robinb382mo ago
Ugh, that's the worst feeling. Did you use a pre-stain wood conditioner first? Pine is so blotchy without it, and even a good stain can look muddy if the wood just drinks it up unevenly.
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tessac252mo ago
That "weird gray-brown" is so common with stains. Robinb38 is right about the conditioner, but I've seen this happen with so many home projects where the picture on the can just lies. It makes you not want to try anything new.
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