To Stain or Not to Stain

[rod1949]

I'm in the throws of making a solid Pine timber Coffee table which I intend to sell after its completion. I have a quandary and therefore seeking suggestions, ie. do I stain the table or do I leave it natural pine with a clear finish? Thanks

[pippin88]

"Buyer choice of finish" may be helpful for sale

[auscab]

Some pine comes up terrible with staining unless it’s lightly pre sealed first so the timber evenly takes up the colour . Otherwise it ends up blotchy . Radiata pine is one to be treated this way .

[Beardy]

try a sample of Tung oil, it will maintain a natural finish but add a little bit of warmth to the pine colour

[orraloon]

My take on is is dont try and change the colour too much. A pine table should look like a pine table. That said if the customer wants it purple well the customer is almost always right.
Regards
John

[rod1949]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to give it a clear coat/s using a waterbased matt finish. It came up a treat.