Skilled craftsmen working with wood are able to create products of incredible beauty from it: furniture, home decoration, etc. Among the many ways to give gloss to handmade structures, there is one fairly simple method to emphasize all their advantages - staining. The main advantage of this treatment is that the stain composition does not cover the surface, but penetrates into it, highlighting the texture of the fibers.
What is stain?
Wood stain (or stain) for wood processing is a special composition with the help of which almost any tree can be given the necessary shade. She makes the material more beautiful and aesthetic. The market for these compounds is very large - it includes powders, ready-made solutions, as well as liquid concentrates.
It is used for a peculiar painting of wood, however, a significant difference between stains and paints is that such a coating has a more pronounced moisture resistance and light transmission characteristics. Processing the material with such a solution provides it with protection against moisture, decay, insects and does not affect its natural texture. Thus, with the help of soaking, ordinary wooden pieces of furniture and interior can be turned into luxurious pieces that look similar to expensive wood products.
Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that not all wood after processing will look natural and natural, since one may ideally suit this type of processing, and the other will not. In order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to carefully read the information indicated on the labels of the compositions, it most often spells out what kind of material should be worked on.
Types of stains
All compositions for staining wood, as well as paints and varnishes, are divided into types, depending on their purpose: those that are used internally and externally. The latter include pigments that do not fade as a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Currently, stains are sold in the form of pastes, powders and ready-made mixtures.
Depending on the composition, the stain may be:
- water;
- acrylic;
- alcohol;
- chemical;
- waxed;
- oily;
- with a whitening effect.
Oil stains
Oil stain for wood makes it possible to give the material any color or shade from the entire palette known to man. This is achieved by mixing dyes in a soluble mixture. Often, masters use the White Spirit solvent in order to breed such men. In practice, work related to wood treatment with wood stains, oil formulations have shown themselves to be the most unpretentious type of coating, since they are applied very evenly, do not pick up fibers and dry quickly.
Work with such a solution should only be if the material is not contagious. An oil stain for a tree, like any other, will not help to bring into proper form a tree subject to rot or damage by insects. It can protect the wood from harmful processes, however, it is not able to “cure” damaged material.
The oil in the composition of this stain makes the treated surface not only environmentally friendly, but also convenient to use. Due to the ease of use, beginners in carpentry are advised to use oil stains for wood, because it is almost impossible to spoil the products somehow.
After treatment with an oil solution, the surface is best covered with furniture oils or wax.
Types of oil-based stains
There are two types of oil stains: impregnating and pigmented.
Pigment compositions are applied to the surface of a wooden product with clean, soft tampons made of fabric. After a certain time, it should be erased. It is not necessary to withstand the stain for a certain time, it should be based on how rich a shade of wood is needed. The longer you hold it, the darker the material will become. However, it is recommended to remove the stain a little earlier than the desired effect is achieved, since its part, penetrated into the wood fibers, may darken for some time. The disadvantage of this treatment is that it tolerates direct sunlight worse and if you do not cover the tree with sealant after it, it will quickly fade.
The impregnating oil stain for wood is more difficult to apply, so it is not recommended for beginners to use it. Inadequate application skills can lead to the formation of colored stripes and spots.
Each type of oil stain for wood has its advantages and disadvantages, which with the advent of experience become less noticeable, since the result of processing directly depends on the skill of the processor.
Composition
The composition of the oil stain for wood provides for the presence of:
- solvent;
- drying oils or oils;
- color (dye).
The basis of each composition is drying oil or oil. White spirit is most often used as a solvent, since its effectiveness has been tested over many years of practice. And the color of the stinger is selected based on what color you need to get later.
The article presents the process of working with an oil stain on wood (pictured).
Do it yourself
In order to make an oil stain for a tree with your own hands, you do not need any special skills and knowledge. You just need to follow the instructions prescribed by the masters, who in practice tested the "homemade" fighters and guarantee their result.
As a basis for the future stain, you can use purchased drying oil (and you can even choose from inexpensive ones), or you can make it yourself. To do this, boil vegetable oil (linseed is better) in a water bath. In order to reduce the subsequent stickiness of the composition (on a dried surface) and accelerate its drying, turpentine is added to the oil, on the basis that a quarter liter of turpentine must be taken per 1 liter of boiled oil.
Thoroughly mixing the ingredients, we get drying oil. Next, it is necessary to add a solvent to it - per 1 liter of a mixture of 200 ml of solvent liquid and approximately 20 ml of color. In fact, the amount of dye is determined during the mixing process and brought to the desired shade by adding it in small portions.
In general, the best option would be to first prepare small volumes of solutions using the minimum amount of ingredients and each time try the obtained stain on the surface of a board. The dye is also recommended to be initially mixed with a small amount of base, and only then pour it into a container with drying oil.
Training
In cases where the wood prepared for staining is made from conifers, then before painting it should be tarred, that is, the surface should be free of resin. Also, careful grinding is necessarily part of the preparation process. Even a surface that is seemingly smooth at first glance must be polished, because after staining all the slightest irregularities and defects will appear on the tree, which will significantly ruin the aesthetic appearance of the product. The cleaned tree should be degreased - treated with a sponge previously soaked in solvent.
Application Rules
Oil stain for wood is best applied with a brush or roller. In the course of processing, in no case should you save money, as this will lead to uneven coloring with stripes or spots. During the painting process, you may feel that the shade of the wood as a result will be darker than necessary. This will not happen if, after a couple of hours after application, the solution that has not absorbed into the surface is thoroughly erased. And in those cases when the tree after drying turned out to be lighter than expected, you can paint the surface again. In fact, the drying speed also depends on the concentration of the stain itself, if it is more concentrated and thick, then it will dry longer.
An oil-based wood stain dries in a few days. It will dry quickly or not, directly depends on the temperature at which the treated surface is.
In order to avoid the appearance of spots on the material after the stain has dried, it is necessary to carefully prepare it for painting, stain itself in good faith and spend as much time as necessary without missing any nuances.
Exact observance of all these recommendations will allow high-quality wood staining even at home, not only for professionals, but also for beginners.
The opinion of practitioners
The ease of application and the quality of the final result have become the main reason that oil stain for wood is one of the most used in the processing of such material.
Based on the opinions of people associated with the wood processing, the quality of most oil beers is very good. But there is one drawback - you should carefully select the desired shade when staining the product, since with a lack of experience by re-applying the composition, the work can be ruined. The main condition is that the stain should be applied quite “boldly” and carefully distributed over the surface with a brush. This process takes time, but the result is excellent. Oil compositions very beautifully emphasize the structure of wood.
Nevertheless, one should take into account the type of wood before taking up the treatment, otherwise you can not only get the wrong result, but completely spoil the appearance of the product. So, for example, when processing beech, oak and other hard woods, oil stains are applied immediately, and after processing the excess is cleaned with a soft cloth. Before applying the product on soft wood (pine, spruce, linden, etc.), the surface should be covered with a transparent primer, and after that cover with a stain. Excess should also be removed with a cloth. Then the shade of the surface is very uniform and in no way inferior to products from stores.