staining finish options

[chargerman]

Hi All

When staining a chest of draws with flush finishing faces or say a cabinet with two doors that finish flush inside the outer shell. what is the most presentable and time efficient way to go for staining the joins around the doors or draws as to not see unstained timber around the joins. stain the whole job inside and out? or is it acceptable to stain a 1' section around the inside of the cabinet, if so how would you evenly and neatly do the 1' stain line?

Thanks guys

[ian]

To help you come to a conclusion, may I ask why you are applying a stain?

In my experience a stain is used to either colour match with an existing finish, or to allow a wood like pine to appear to be another species.
If staining for the latter purpose, a line where the stain ends will be a dead giveaway.

[chargerman]

Hi Ian

The timber i work with is mostly pine and I'm staining it for different jobs. walnut or dark mahogany so far.
just not sure how to make it look presentable once the door or draw is opened.

[ian]

Hi Ian

The timber i work with is mostly pine and I'm staining it for different jobs. walnut or dark mahogany so far.
just not sure how to make it look presentable once the door or draw is opened.

the decision is really yours ...

personally, I'd stain all the interior. But if you want a straight line between the pine and the stain, I'd mask off the 1" strip, apply a coat of shellac 2 to 3" wide where you don't want stain, then mask the shellac before applying stain to the outside of the piece and 1" strip.

Of course it would be simpler (and faster) to just mask beyond the 1" strip, and not use any shellac, but not having tried this I'd be concerned that the stain would bleed under the masking tape giving you a ragged line.

[chargerman]

I bought a mid size spray gun today with a .8mm tip and tried shooting the stain. It works perfectly and does a fantastic job. After trying it on a test piece, i bit the bullet and sprayed my project inside and out. would certainly recommend using the gun. fast, uses less stain and gets into the tight spots. Has certainly sped up my staining process.

Thanks for your your advice though Ian, much appreciated