Stained wood is a tree that has lain in water for many years, while gaining incredible beauty and strength.
Everyone knows that there are valuable tree species, but there are more affordable ones, such as pine or spruce. But there is a very special category of wood - stained. This is a tree that, having lain in the water for tens, hundreds, thousands of years, acquires incredible beauty and strength. Let's talk about stained wood.
Stained wood - incredible beauty and strength
Trunks and fragments of trees lying under water are commonly called driftwood. A logical name, given that the tree really turns out to be drowned, has been at the bottom of the sea, lake, river, swamp for decades. It is noteworthy that some trunks at the same time turn into dust, rot and, of course, cannot be used. But other trees, on the contrary, acquire a truly stone strength.
The most valuable stained wood is oak. This royal tree is already valued for its strength and beautiful texture. Having lain under water for at least 300 years, the oak acquires delicate pale shades. If the tree is black, then it has lain in the reservoir for about 1000 years!
In the pre-industrial era, “black gold” was not called oil at all, but bog oak. Products from it are almost eternal, not subject to rotting, fungus or mold. They do not need protective covering, and stained wood looks extraordinarily beautiful.
In addition to oak, larch is considered the most valuable stained wood. No wonder. It is these tree species that, due to their high density, sink, sink to the bottom, where a transformation process takes place under a layer of silt or sand. Even in fresh water there are salts that interact with the tannins of wood and help it acquire special hardness and strength.
According to experts, in order for a tree to really become stained, it must lie under water for at least 40 years. In general, the longer the better, experts say. The stagnant waters of swamps or lakes are ideal places to obtain stained wood. But a tree that has lain in sea water, soaked in salt, will also be no less durable.
Literally anything can be made from stained wood: furniture, parquet, various crafts, figurines and figurines, caskets, billiard cues, pipes, other interior items and even jewelry. There are no drawbacks to this material, but it is not available to everyone. Stained wood, especially oak and larch, is very expensive! There are several good reasons for this:
- First, it is a rare material. Although, as calculated at the Central Research Institute of Timber Rafting, approximately 1% of the entire floated volume sinks in the process of transporting tree trunks, and about 9 million m3 of driftwood has accumulated in the Volga basin. That's a lot, you say. But finding sunken trunks is not easy. In addition, only 50% of all sunken wood can be classified as commercial, that is, suitable for further use. And oak among driftwood is no more than 5%. In Europe, the search for and lifting of flooded trees has been done for a long time and purposefully, so it is already very difficult to find driftwood in European countries. Russia still has reserves of this material;
- Secondly, it is technically difficult to raise a tree to the surface. Special equipment is needed, usually the help of scuba divers is required. The wood becomes heavy, you can’t get a solid trunk by hand;
- Thirdly, it is not enough to get a firewood. It also needs to be dried before use. It takes about a year, and in no case should the process be accelerated, drying should occur naturally;
- Fourthly, it is difficult to process a tree that has become very durable; special skills and tools are needed. Not all carpenters take up work with bog oak.
Therefore, for three kilograms of bog black oak on the Internet they often ask about 2 thousand rubles! Or 200 rubles for one piece small size, literally a cube, suitable only for cutting, for example, the handle of a knife. And the finished comb bog oak, such as shown in the photo above, will cost more than 12 thousand rubles.
Can you imagine how much a parquet made of such material will cost or kitchen set. Experts compare the cost of a good bog oak log with the price of a car. Cheaper bog birch, pine, aspen - they ask from 1.5 to 20 thousand rubles per cubic meter, depending on the condition and quality of the wood.
At these prices for stained wood, it is not surprising that manufacturers of furniture and interior items achieve similarity with the help of stains, special impregnations. Yes, this is already an imitation, in terms of strength and hardness such a tree does not differ from the usual one, but the color becomes darker, nobler, the structure is emphasized.
Stained wood is an elite material. Only for expensive interiors, yacht decoration, exclusive car interiors, furniture that is in the offices of presidents and heads of large companies.published
Subscribe to our Yandex Zen channel!
If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project.
Stain, as a coating of wooden surfaces, not only preserves wood, but also strengthens it. decorative properties. With the help of stain, inexpensive wood species can be turned into valuable exotic wood. Let's talk about how to properly stain a wooden surface.
How to choose the right stain
Stain or, as it is also called, stain is finishing coating for a tree that, without painting over, favorably emphasizes its structure. It consists of a pigment and a base, which can be water, alcohol, oil. IN Lately are becoming very popular water stains based on acrylic resins. In addition to being decorative, they have the properties of a good antiseptic.
Another type of stain is wax. A thin film of wax, which is formed when the surface is covered with stain, gives not only decorative effect natural wood, but also reliably protect it from water.
When choosing a stain, you must be guided by the following criteria:
- Operating environment (outdoor or interior work). The composition of the stain for outdoor use includes pigments that are resistant to ultraviolet rays.
- Composition safety. In children's rooms or children's household items, wood stains without harmful compounds are used. These include stains on a water, oil or wax basis.
- Powdered or ready-made stain. Water and alcohol stains are also available in dry form. They need to be bred at home. If there is any doubt that the desired result will be obtained, then it is better to give preference to the finished stain.
- The method of applying stain to the surface. Alcohol stains are best applied with a spray gun, as they dry very quickly, and it is difficult to achieve an even coating. Small objects and surfaces are covered with brushes, foam or fabric swabs. With a large area of \u200b\u200bfinishing, a sprayer is used.
- Design decision interior or exterior. It is important to know that the sample presented in the store often differs in color from what is obtained when finishing. The reason for this can be a different breed and structure of the tree, illumination. Even different production batches of the same type of stain have differences in shades when coated.
Sequence of work
Surface preparation
A high-quality finish is obtained only on a surface cleaned of dust, dirt and grease, without defects in wood processing. If the surface of the wood has already been painted with something, then old finish must be removed completely. Coniferous trees need to be tarred.
The cleaned surface is polished twice. First, this is done using a larger sandpaper (No. 120), then a smaller one (No. 220). Wood grinding is carried out only along the fibers. The resulting dust is removed with a damp cloth, and dirt with some solvent or alcohol.
It is possible to apply stain only on a clean and dry surface of the tree. In order not to make a mistake with the color of the coating, make a test paint. You need to take a small sample. First, cover it with one layer of stain, after complete drying, cover 2/3 of the sample with a second layer. The third layer should cover 1/3 of the wood piece. This will allow you to choose your favorite finish.
Application methods
With a brush, you can apply almost any stain to the prepared surface. Difficulties arise only with alcohol-based stains due to rapid drying. The vertical surface begins to be covered from below so that smudges are not absorbed by unpainted wood. This greatly improves the uniformity of the coating.
The second and subsequent layers can be applied after the previous one has dried. For stains on oil based the drying process lasts up to 3 days, for water - up to 3 hours. The coating is applied along the grain of the wood. When painting the surface with a brush, it is important not to go into neighboring areas that have already been stained. This way you can avoid unwanted stains.
Stain on water based can lift the villi of the tree. After the first layer, wait for the stain to dry and sand the surface with sandpaper. Then remove the resulting dust and cover the surface with the next layer.
A swab is applied stain by rubbing. This method is only suitable for small surfaces. A tampon can be made from a piece of foam or thick fabric. Wax stains are applied with this method. It allows you to achieve a uniform surface coverage. This is especially true for rocks with a porous structure.
Spraying stain on a wooden surface is most often used for large areas of coverage. Alcohol-based stains dry quickly and it is difficult to avoid spotting during application, for example with a brush or swab. Spraying with an airbrush allows you to achieve a high decorative quality of the finish, regardless of the stain base.
Defects in work and ways to eliminate them
It is very important when applying the stain to avoid smudges, which are quickly absorbed into the wood and significantly impair the appearance of the finish. Not a large number of the stain on the brush and a thin layer of coating help to avoid this defect.
You can remove unwanted stains from the stain with the help of sandpaper, in a more complex case - a planer. You will have to act carefully, gradually removing the darkened area of \u200b\u200bwood and smoothing out sharp transitions.
For porous wood species, in which the absorption of the coating occurs unevenly, it is better to use wax-based stains or gel stains. They cover the surface with a thin layer and do not penetrate deep into the structure of the tree. You can also treat the surface of the wood with a special conditioning compound that will prevent the stain from being actively absorbed.
The “apple” defect occurs when poor-quality pigment diluents or lack of skill in applying stain by spraying. Spots form on the surface covered with stain.
When applying the stain with an airbrush, in order to avoid coating defects, it is necessary to adjust the material supply torch. It should be oval in shape and the spray angle should be approximately 90°.
Coating defects can occur from poor-quality grinding of the wood surface. In this case, it is necessary to remove the layer and sand it again. Then cover the surface with stain.
The remaining stains of grease, dirt with poor cleaning will appear when applying stain. Here, too, it is necessary to remove the poor-quality layer by grinding, clean and degrease the surface. Apply a new coat of paint to clean, dry wood.
Making a stain with your own hands
There is a large number folk recipes making stains at home. Various shades Brown can be obtained by preparing a solution of ordinary potassium permanganate. You need to experiment a little to achieve the desired result, choosing the concentration of the solution. The surface stained with potassium permanganate must be protected from fading, for example, with varnish.
Another a simple means stained wood is a strong brew of tea. It will give the wood a rich brown tint. You can also dry the tree with strong brewed coffee. Natural brown color is obtained by wood treated with a rich decoction of the shell walnut crushed to powder.
A decoction of oak bark will give the surface of the tree a shade of black. Golden color is obtained by processing wood with a decoction of buckthorn fruits. A red-brown tint can be obtained by treating the wooden surface with a concentrated decoction of onion peel.
How to achieve a special effect when staining a tree
An interesting effect of aged boards can be obtained by using, for example, a white water stain as the main tone. After drying this layer, a layer of gray or black tone of thick wax stain is applied, which will emphasize the texture of the wood. In this way, you can combine stains of different colors.
The appearance of worn worn boards is obtained by applying a water stain to the surface as a background. Without letting it dry, in the right places it is necessary to wipe off part of the stain, simulating abrasion. After complete drying, cover the surface of the product with a second layer.
The stained surface of the wood is lightly fired to reveal the texture. gas burner. You can do the firing only after the stain has dried. Next, the surface is cleaned with a shoe brush.
A beautiful effect with a pronounced wood structure is obtained when applying the first layer with a water-based stain. white color. After drying, an oil stain is applied to the main background with the addition of melted wax.
Not all wood stains have antiseptic properties and can protect wood from environmental influences, so it is better to varnish the treated wood on top to prolong its service life.
If earlier this material was used to give wood products a brown color or its shades, today with the help of stains you can get almost any color. Their additional advantages are antiseptic properties and the ability to extend the life of the products treated with them almost twice.
The following describes different kinds stains, their properties and capabilities are revealed.
Types of stains
- Water based wood stain.
This type of impregnation is most often used. Available either ready-to-use or as a water-soluble powder. The main components of water stain are polymers and pigments.
The color range is wide, but shades of red predominate, from light to very dark. Surfaces treated with this material are resistant to abrasion, and the texture of wood is clearly visible on them.
However, such a coating contributes to the swelling of the wood. To prevent this, it is necessary to moisten the surface of the product in advance and after some time to process it with sandpaper. Mainly used indoors.
- Oil based wood stain.
It has an extensive palette of colors, while it perfectly highlights the "drawing" of the tree. It has good penetrating properties, protecting products from decay. It is the easiest to work with: it is easy to apply, dries quickly, does not lift the fibers.
- Alcohol stain on wood.
It is obtained by dissolving an aniline dye in denatured alcohol. Similar to the previous material, it is sold in the form of a liquid or powder. The tendency to dry quickly makes applying this impregnation by hand quite problematic. Therefore, for uniform coloring of products, an airbrush is used.
Modern types of tinting materials are acrylic and wax stains. They are devoid of the shortcomings of the previous types. And formed during their application protective film has a waterproof function. Perfectly emphasizing the woody structure, they are called "rustic".
Stain do it yourself
There are many ways to make tinting impregnation yourself and very budget.
- plant-based materials. Using strong decoctions, you can achieve different shades of wood.
- A reddish tone will be given by larch bark and onion peel.
- By combining walnut shell decoction with other ingredients, color variations can be achieved. Adding soda to the solution will give a brown tint. By acting on the treated and dried surface with potassium bichromate, you can get a reddish tone, and with a solution of vinegar - a grayish one.
- The wood will take on a nice black tint when using alder and oak bark.
- Golden-yellow color is obtained with the help of unripe buckthorn fruits.
- Wood stain based on improvised materials.
- The role of impregnation is wonderfully performed by instant or ground coffee, tea brewing.
- With your own hands, you can make a stain based on acetic acid. After insisting metal objects in it for a week, you need to add a decoction of oak or alder bark of strong concentration. This composition will create the effect of ebony.
- With your own hands, you can get various shades of brown and even cherry color. To do this, dissolve 50 g of potassium permanganate in 1000 ml of water, cover the product and dry it with a soft cloth after 5 minutes. When re-treated with the resulting composition, the tone will become brighter.
Working with stain
When staining wood with your own hands, it is necessary to take into account a number of nuances. First you need to choose the right tool. And here you should pay attention to the surface area being processed and the type of stain. It can be a brush, a foam swab or a spray bottle. So, solvent-based impregnations are best applied with a spray gun. The use of other tools will not allow you to do it evenly, without spots.
Liquids based on water or alcohol do not require special tools. However, it must be remembered that it will be difficult to cover large areas with a brush and swab.
Another subtlety: in order to achieve the desired color, the wood must be coated in two or more layers. In this case, you need to wait for the complete drying of the previous ones. Lacquer also opens only a completely dry surface. This is especially true when working with water-based formulations.
Impregnation is applied and excess is removed in accordance with the direction of the wood pattern.
When working with a brush, you need to make sure that it does not fall on areas that have already been processed.
The polishing of frozen wood is carried out with a coarse rag in the direction of the fibers or diagonally.
Dense impregnation is diluted with an appropriate solvent. Water is used for water-based material, paint thinners are used for oil stain. If you leave the consistency unchanged, you can mask defects on the surface of the product with such a stain.
If you need to wash a large area, it is recommended to do it in stages, dividing it into small pieces.
The drying time of the oil stain is about 3 days, and the water and alcohol stain is about 3 hours.
Stain possibilities
To highlight the texture of wood and artificially age the surface, one little-known method is used. It consists in the simultaneous use of impregnation of different shades.
One of fashion trends is the coloring " bleached oak". To achieve this, two types of impregnating composition are used. The first layer is applied with a special water-based bleach. After it dries, take an oil stain containing wax. They clog only the pores, while staining in the selected color, while the rest of the area remains unchanged.
With a combination of types and shades of stains, very effective results can be achieved. The main subtlety here is the sequence of work: first a background is created, and then the product is exposed finishing through the use of other colors. The order cannot be changed, otherwise the wax will not allow the stain to be absorbed.
The final step will be varnishing. It performs a protective function and is mandatory.
Selecting the desired shade
It is generally known that wood stain, applied in several layers, determines the final color of the surface. In order to understand what it will be, you need to make a color test.
To this end, the harvested edge of the board is subjected to careful polishing. Then it is completely saturated with the first layer. After waiting for drying, a second layer is applied, leaving a third of the plank untreated. The surface is covered with the last layer, without touching two-thirds this time.
And finally, a completely dry board is opened with two layers of varnish, not forgetting to dry each of them. After completing this procedure from beginning to end, you can select the tone that you would like to receive.
When working with the material described here, it must be remembered that the stain used for woodworking affects different types of wood in different ways.
Deciduous plants have excellent absorbency. For them, any type of impregnation is applicable. Representatives conifers this indicator is lower, which is explained by the presence of a significant amount of resins in their composition. This fact once again confirms the need to use color samples. By ignoring this stage, you can get an unpredictable and not always pleasant result.
Elimination of defects
Removing the flaws obtained when working with wood stain is a complex process.
- streaks. If the quick-drying material was applied in a thick layer, this problem can be eliminated by removing it as much as possible. To do this, the drying layer is covered with fresh stain. The softened solution is removed with a rag. When the coating is completely dry, solvents are used. Another way to solve this problem is to use a planer or sandpaper.
- Spots. If the staining is uneven, it will be difficult to deal with it. The soaked wood is passed with a planer, and in plywood it will be necessary to remove upper layer. But it is preferable to prevent the formation of spotting: conduct a preliminary test of the surface, use a gel stain or suitable tools.
Stains or stains are called tinting compositions that are used to finish wood to give it a more expressive shade. Soaking into the structure of the tree, the liquid stains surface layer while maintaining the natural texture and relief of the surface.
Stain processing allows you to simply and without extra costs betray inexpressive wood species more noble appearance. The ability to experiment with shades reveals wide opportunities when finishing projects.
The composition of stains does not affect the main characteristics of the material. A film does not form on the surface, resistance to decay, hardness and strength of wood remain unchanged (in the absence of special components in the composition). It is not difficult to master the technique of applying stains.
The basis for stains can be water, alcohol, oil and other substances. Each type of finishing composition has its own characteristics, knowing which it is easy to choose the optimal type of finish for a particular project.
Water stain and its specificity
Water stain is available as a ready-to-use liquid and as a self-diluting powder to the desired concentration. Water-based stains have good adhesion, naturally emphasize the grain of the wood and come in a wide range of shades from light tones to deep dark reds. The absence of toxic odors makes such compounds indispensable for interior work.
When processing wood of resinous species, water stain can become stained due to uneven absorption into the structure of the material. In this case, the surface of the product is recommended to be subjected to the deresining procedure.
Another disadvantage when working with water stains is the problem of raised pile. To eliminate this defect, the prepared surface is moistened with water and allowed to dry. Then the product is sanded with fine-grained paper and it is opened with a finishing compound.
After processing the wood with a water stain, it takes 12-14 hours for it to dry completely.
In what cases are alcohol stains appropriate?
Alcohol stains are a category of finishing compositions based on aniline dyes diluted in alcohol. Like water stains, this product is offered in powder and liquid form. Distinctive feature finishing is the accelerated penetration of coloring pigments into the wood structure and quick drying.
The best method for applying alcohol stain is the use of an airbrush. The use of a brush, roller and swabs when working with such compositions is ineffective, due to rapid drying. The use of manual methods often results in streaks, uneven tone, spots and other defects.
Such compositions are optimal for finishing surfaces of large areas. Similar in characteristics to them are nitromordants - solvent-based stains.
The alcohol-based stain dries in 20-30 minutes.
Oil stains and their features
The finishing composition is dyes dissolved in oil, usually linseed. The stain is easily and evenly applied to the wood, both by manual methods and with a spray gun. It does not form surface films, emphasizes the texture of wood and provides air exchange.
A distinctive feature of the coloring pigments of such compositions is their resistance to UV radiation, due to which the painted surfaces do not fade in the sun, maintaining color saturation for years. White spirit is used to dilute oil formulations.
How long such a stain dries depends on the degree of its concentration and a number of other factors. On average, it takes from 2 to 4 hours.
Wax and acrylic compounds
According to all the main characteristics, such stains are similar to oil counterparts. A distinctive feature of wax and acrylic stains is their moisture-proof properties. Finishing well protects the surface of the tree from water, but is vulnerable to mechanical damage.
Wax and acrylic compositions are easily applied by manual methods, keep the same tone, do not leave streaks. They do not raise the pile and well emphasize the natural texture of the wood. This type of finish is actively used in the restoration of furniture. This type of stain is offered in a wide range of colors.
How long such a stain dries also depends on a complex of factors. On average, the process of complete drying of wax and acrylic stains takes 4-5 hours.
What tools are used to apply stain?
Wood staining at home can be done with a brush, foam or fabric swab, paint roller, as well as a spray gun. The choice of technique is determined primarily by the type of finishing composition.
The optimal ratio of materials and tools used:
- alcohol and nitromorilki - airbrush;
- water stains - swabs, roller, brushes with synthetic bristles;
- oil and acrylic stains - wide brushes with natural bristles, lint-free swabs.
How to paint a wood stain: methods for applying a finishing composition
There are two generally accepted methods for treating wood with wood stain:
- Application of the composition in excess and subsequent removal of excess with a swab.
The technique is relevant primarily for water formulations. It allows you to even out color transitions, eliminate smudges and achieve lighter tones. The stain is applied with circular (tampon) or longitudinal (roller, brush) movements, followed by wiping along the fibers. After the first layer dries, the second one is applied. The procedure is repeated until the desired color saturation is achieved.
- Application of the composition in excess without subsequent wiping off the excess.
This technique is more appropriate when using wax, oil and acrylic stains when the goal is to achieve deep wood tones. Partial wiping of excess is allowed after the main part of the composition is absorbed into the structure of the tree. This allows you to even out the tone and get rid of minor defects that may occur when applying the composition.
- to enhance adhesion, the stain can be slightly heated, this will improve the speed and depth of penetration of the composition into the wood structure;
- it is not recommended to strongly soak the brush, swab or roller in the finishing composition. Controlled stain intake minimizes the risk of smudges and blotches.
- the ends of the board are stained more intensively than the main surface, because. they absorb the composition more actively.
How to prepare the surface for finishing?
Speaking about the merits of wood stain, one should not forget that it emphasizes not only the expressiveness of the wood texture, but also all the defects present on its surface. Therefore, special attention is paid to the proper preparation of the product.
- The wooden surface is sanded with medium and fine-grained paper. The old coating, if any, is completely removed.
- The surface cleaned and leveled by grinding is degreased with a sponge dipped in white spirit.
- Conifers undergo a deresining procedure, for this they are treated with a special compound.
- When working with water stains on wooden surface preliminarily remove the raised pile (see point 2).
- A color test is made on the prepared surface. A test coat will give you an idea of how the composition interacts with a particular type of wood and how many layers of it will need to be applied to achieve the desired color.
Compliance with this algorithm will help to achieve a professional result when staining wood at home.
How to solve the spotting problem?
The uneven tone of the finish, when the stain appears stronger in some places and weaker in others, is a common problem that is associated with the characteristics of certain types of wood. Spotting can occur when processing resinous wood, as well as species with uneven density or plywood. In the first case, it is recommended to deresin the surface, in the second - to pre-treat the wood with special conditioners that will close the pores and ensure uniform absorption of the stain.
Painting wooden products with stain and varnish
To enhance wear resistance and surface attractiveness wooden products, painted with stain, they are additionally opened with varnish. At this stage, many are faced with the problem when, when varnish is applied, the stain begins to wash away, which ultimately spoils all the work done.
At the stage finishing important to remember:
- water stains should be combined with non-aqueous varnishes;
- alcohol stains - with non-alcohol paints and varnishes.
