How to Stain Pine Door

How to Stain Pine Door

You know that stained wood looks lovely, inviting and rich. It brings a touch of luxury to everyday household items like doors. But you look at your pine doors and think to yourself “there is no way I can make those stains look good!”

How to Stain Pine Doors Like a Pro!

Never fear, with this easy-to-use guide, you can have beautiful stained pine doors in no time!

Materials:

First, you need to gather your materials. You will need: gloves, eye protection, old clothes that you don’t mind ruining, a respirator mask, sandpaper, a tack cloth or vacuum, wood conditioner, pens or pencils, rags or brush applicators, your chosen stain color (I recommend using a water-based interior wood stain for easy cleanup) and finally polyurethane (optional). Make sure to open all of your windows and doors for ventilation before you start working with the stains and chemicals.

Prep Your Work Area:

Next, you need to prep your work area by covering the floor with old towels or newspapers. You don’t want to accidentally get stains on your carpet or flooring! Once your work area is protected, it’s time to start prepping the door itself.

Pine is a soft wood, which means it’s more likely to absorb paint and stains unevenly. To help the stain go on more evenly and last longer, you need to first use sandpaper to rough up the surface of the door. Start with medium-grade sandpaper and then move to finer grades until the whole door has a uniform matte finish. Then use the tack cloth or vacuum attachment to remove any dust particles created by sanding.

Staining:

Now it’s time for the fun part: staining! First apply a generous amount of wood conditioner to the door using a rag or brush applicator. Work in small sections and make sure to evenly coat the entire door. Wood conditioner helps create a barrier between the grain of the wood and the stain so that the stain doesn’t absorb unevenly and creates streaks.

Let the wood conditioner dry for at least 30 minutes before moving on to staining.

When you’re ready to start staining, open up all of your windows and doors for ventilation again. Make sure to wear your gloves, eye protection, and respirator mask before beginning! Working in small sections again, apply your chosen stain color evenly across the door using a rag or brush applicator.

If you want a darker color, you can apply multiple coats of stain allowing each coat to dry in between applications. Once you’re satisfied with the color, let the door dry overnight before proceeding to the next step.

Apply Polyurethane:

To seal in your newly applied stain and protect it from wear-and-tear (plus make it super shiny!), finish by applying 1–2 coats of polyurethane using a brush applicator. Wait 4–6 hours between coats for optimal drying time; otherwise streaks may form as you apply successive coats of polyurethane. Once everything is dry, stand back and admire your new stained pine doors — they’re sure to make a great first impression on any visitor!

Conclusion:

Staining pine doors may seem daunting at first glance but with this helpful guide by your side there’s nothing stopping you from getting beautiful results!

Just remember: take your time prepping both your workspace and door surface, apply wood conditioner before starting with stain, work in small sections, be generous with both stain coats and waiting time for drying, finish with polyurethane for added protection against wear-and-tear. With these tips in mind plus some elbow grease you’ll be enjoying stunning stained pine doors in no time!