How to Sand & Stain Shelves

We’ve all come across a fabulous piece of wood furniture that would fit your home perfectly if you could just change one tiny detail: the color of the wood to match your floors and the rest of your furniture.

Luckily, staining your wood furniture is a quick and easy fix for this common issue! It’s also a fun weekend project.

Staining is a crucial step when finishing most woodworking projects, because it determines the appearances of the finished piece. Almost equally importantly, it affects the durability.

What you’ll need for this project:

• A well-ventilated outdoor area. This is important because you’ll be sanding down wood, causing micro-particles to rise into the air. Moreover, wood stain creates some serious fumes that you don’t want to inhale for long periods of time.

• A face covering. Again, you don’t want to inhale tiny wood particles or the chemical fumes from wood stain.

• A sanding tool. We recommend using a belt sander, because it’s a great tool for all those physically tedious tools that you shudder to think about — like big wood shelves. 

• Wood stain. 

• Polyurethane finish. While your wood stain will add color and bring out the beauty of your wood furniture, clear finishes protect the wood and enhance its beauty.

If you’ve just purchased a piece of wood furniture that you’d like to stain a different color, we’ll walk you through the steps — and help you avoid common mistakes! 

How to Prep Wood for Stain

The first step before applying any sort of finish—whether paint, varnish, or stain—is to prepare and clean your surface. This is the best way to prevent a blotchy application of wood stain.

To prep your wood for staining, you’ll need to sand down top layers of wood for an even surface. 

Start with 60 or 80 grit, and if you’re using a nice wood like fine pine, skip straight to 120. Then, finish off with 220 by hand.

The final step before staining is to wipe down your raw wood with either:

• Mineral spirits, or

• Pre-stain conditioner

FAQ: How to fix blotchy wood stain?

Blotching happens when areas of varying wood density absorb liquid stain differently. This leads to an unevenly stained surface. Some woods with even wood density, like oak and walnut, absorb liquid stain evenly. On pine, cherry, maple, poplar, and birch, however, spongy areas soak up more liquid—and more color—than dense areas.

The best way to prevent blotchy wood staining is by using the right wood, as well as taking a careful approach in the preparation process.

Try to evenly sand to 180 grit on face grain, and 220 grit on end grain. After sanding, wipe all surfaces with mineral spirits and inspect for scratches or sander swirls. 

FAQ: How to remove stain from wood?

If you want the real wood to be the star of the show, you’ll need to strip paint or stain from the piece until you have clean, natural wood.

You have several options. You can:

• Use a citrus stripper (like Citristrip). Citrus strippers are safer to use than most chemical strippers, free of methylene chloride, ketones, and so on. However, they’re goopy and difficult to remove for finer, detailed work. We like using citrus stripper for bulk stain-removal jobs.

• Use a chemical stripper (like Minwax Furniture Refinisher). Chemical strippers are great for getting into nooks and crannies, and it truly dissolves the old finish, leaving the wood ready for sanding. But it is a chemical and requires all the necessary safety precautions. It is smelly and can cause skin irritation, so be sure to follow the can’s warnings.

• Sand the old finish off. Stain is notoriously hard to remove from wood, especially if it’s deep-penetrating oil-based stain. The only real solution is to remove the top layer of wood by sanding, and light-duty sandpaper just won't cut it. The best all-purpose sandpaper for removing wood stain is 100-grit.

  • Tip: Save time and effort by removing the top coat with a citrus or chemical stripper before removing the finish through a sanding process.

FAQ: Should I use oil-based vs. water-based stain?

Both oil- and water-based stains are useful for protecting and enhancing the appearance of your finished piece.

Oil-based stains are the most commonly used stains. They generally have a linseed oil base or a mixture of linseed with varnish, so they don’t dry as quickly. That way, you have plenty of time to wipe off any excess before the stain dries.

Oil-based stains can be thinned out and cleaned up with mineral stains. For water-based stains, you’ll only need water for thinning.

In terms of appearance, oil-based stains tend to penetrate deeper than the water-based ones. As such, they leave behind a richer and more vivid color that’s easy to refresh with extra applications.

Since oil-based stains penetrate deeper into wood, they’re easier to apply than water-based stains. This is important when you’re working on larger wood pieces!

Finally, oil-based stains are extremely durable. They have excellent surface adhesion, which helps to resist peeling. Although they take longer to dry, the stain will last for a long time. They’re easier to refresh than water-based stains.

Water-based stains aren’t as popular as oil-based stains, but they’re still handy to have in the workshop for certain projects.

As we mentioned earlier, water-based stains can be thinned out with — you guessed it — water!

If you’re using a water-based finish, use a water-based stain. Water-based stains don’t play well with oil-based finishes.

Water-based stains dry faster than oil-based stains. They also raise the grain of the wood. That means they’re slightly more difficult to use than oil-based stains.

Your wood won’t be as well-protected, because water-based stains don’t penetrate as deeply as oil-based stains.

If you do end up with a blotchy finish, it’s easier to fix a water-based stain; all you need to do is clean up the section with water and apply a fresh coat.

If you’re concerned about mold or mildew, you might want to use a water-based stain. Water-based stains are more permeable. When air is able to flow in and out of wood, the stain doesn’t trap water and cause decay. 

If you’re sensitive to fumes or odors, water-based stains don’t emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making them the slightly more environmentally friendly choice.

How to Apply Wood Stain

Start by using a paint stirrer to mix up the contents of your can, as heavier pigments tend to settle in the can. Stir gently—you don’t want any bubbles in your stain.

If, on your first pass, the wood appears blotchy, wipe off the stain. Apply a wood conditioner first (water- or oil-based, depending on your stain), wait 15 minutes, then start over again.

Apply the stain using a foam roller. Go slowly, take long strokes, and use thin coats. Slow and steady wins the race!

Once the entire piece is stained, let it dry overnight. Apply more stain if you want to deepen the color of the wood.

When the stain dries, it might take on a dull appearance. Don’t worry! Your wood will look fresher after you apply the polyurethane finish.

FAQ: How long does wood stain take to dry?

Once you finish staining your wood, let it dry for at least 24 hours, preferably for 48 hours. If you live in a humid climate, extend this time up to 72 hours to be on the safe side.

We’d recommend letting your stained wood dry in a well-ventilated area.