Hey, a question and I need opinions...

Seal radiata, any good sanding sealer will do, lightly sand then stain, it stops the blotchyness you can get.

However, if you want to get that prominent grainy look, spray on a coat of stain, reasonably heavy coat, then rub off, before applying sealer.

Yeah , I know that it is used for that and more , but is it used for wood colouring ?
Henna is a paste isn't it ?

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Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

Yeah , I know that it is used for that and more , but is it used for wood colouring ?
Henna is a paste isn't it ?

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Can get powder and liquid forms>

I have seen coffee or tea stain used on pine and it looks pretty good depending on the colour you are trying to achieve of course. There are some old threads on the forum covering this.

I am not an expert but have stained pine using minwax oil stain both ways. The biggest factor in the finish was the prep sanding. I usually overdo it by going to 320 grit before I stain (this means the stain doesn't take as fast and won't be as dark. That said, the biggest difference I saw was on the edge of the stain when it is intially applied. I tried using a brush, rag, and sponge, and I noticed that regardless of the methods, without the sealer, the edge of the stain as I put it on (where the wet stain and the dry wood met) left a darker line that I could not remove, even by immediately applying wet stain over it. It was particularly noticeable if a drop of stain hit the dry wood before it was wetted (left a ring on the edge). I did not have this problem using the presealer, and did not notice the orange-tint that you described but I finish coated with the fast-dry polyurethane, which has a bit of amber hue also. I had the same results using Golden Oak, Natural cherry, Early American and Provincial.

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Originally Posted by jimbur

The problem with radiata and stains is that there tends to be an uneven pick up - i.e. it soaks in more in some places than others giving a blotchy appearance.
[...]
Manufacturers get round the blotchy problem by using spray-on varnish.

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:yes:

Personally, I seal radiata with a wash of thinned down clear finish, leave it for a few minutes and then wipe off the excess. Leave 24 hours to dry and then apply whatever stain I desire.

Exactly what type of finish depends on what type of stain I'm using, of course, matching water-based to water-based, etc.

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Originally Posted by narumi

That said, the biggest difference I saw was on the edge of the stain when it is intially applied. I tried using a brush, rag, and sponge, and I noticed that regardless of the methods, without the sealer, the edge of the stain as I put it on (where the wet stain and the dry wood met) left a darker line that I could not remove, even by immediately applying wet stain over it. It was particularly noticeable if a drop of stain hit the dry wood before it was wetted (left a ring on the edge).

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Thats why I use the fabric dye . That and the problem that arises with that some stains streaking , obscuring the figure in the wood , creating 'grain patterns' of their own etc .

Hey guys, thanks for the ideas, but I still haven't come to which stain type of water, oil or what's the other one, is better...?

In your opinion if you could decide which one you think is best on a general term?