• Bring life to your wood furniture with stain.verlorener schl??ssel 03 image by LeNico from Fotolia.com
  
  Bare wood is a blank canvas that springs to life with the application of stain. You can purchase good-quality water- or oil-based stains in gel or liquid form. With so many possibilities at your fingertips, you can easily draw out the rich grain of your unfinished wood furniture in all its glory.
  
  

Give It a Bath

• Fibers and pores that lift and absorb stain make up wood. Prepare your furniture before staining by wiping it down with a wet sponge to lift the grain and raise the fibers. This also prepares the wood to accept stain more evenly because water opens the pores. After the first application of stain settles deep into the wood and the whole project dries, a thorough sanding smooths the surface back down..
  
  

Allow Stain to Penetrate

• Once stain is applied, let it sit on the wood for a few moments before wiping down with a clean rag, and always work with the grain. Some stains have a quick dry time, especially if water-based, so don't let the project sit too long.
  
  

Hard to Reach Areas

• Although rags are good for applying stain to large areas, using a small paintbrush will help you reach into crevices and details. Dab the stain into the crevice after staining the larger areas, because deeply-cut spots absorb more stain and become darker.
  
  

Fixing Errors

• If you accidentally sand through the stain, which is not uncommon with sharp edges, touch up bare spots using a cotton swab dipped in stain. This is better than reapplying stain to the whole area, and it also prevents overlapping darker stain in the surrounding areas, which could happen if you use a rag or brush.
  
  

Final Touches

• Applying more than one coat of urethane is wise, but make sure to rough the surface before applying the second coat. Wearing protective gloves, lightly rub the surface of the dry urethane with steel wool to help ensure adhesion of the second coat.
  
  

Choosing the Color

• Some people are turned off when they see cherry stain used on a pine table. An experienced woodworker knows at first glance what kind of wood they're looking at because trees have specific grain patterns. However, other people like to be creative and don't mind a bit if their oak table is the color of mahogany, so it's all up to you. To make sure the stain you choose gives the results you want, test it on a scrap piece of wood first or try it on a hidden spot on the furniture.