Table of Contents
Can you put dark stain on light wood?
Things You’ll Need If you try to apply a light color of stain over the top of an existing dark finish, you won’t notice much difference. To completely alter the color of the finish, strip down the existing stain using a petroleum-based solvent. Once you’ve lightened the wood, you may add a lighter color of stain.
How do you change light stain to dark wood?
If you’re using 2-part bleach, then pour equal amounts of both parts of the bleach in a small bowl and stir them together.
- Oxalic acid lightens the stain slightly and works best on naturally light woods.
- A 2-part bleach solution removes most of the color, and it also can lighten the natural color of dark wood.
Can you put a dark stain over a light stain?
Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if your applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on raw wood. 2. You can mix 2 or more stains together to make DIY custom stains.
Can you stain finished wood darker?
The color of the original stain and the tinted polyurethane combine, creating a darker, slightly different shade. To darken the wood without altering it drastically, choose a darker version of the existing color; for example, add depth to light walnut with polyurethane tinted with dark walnut.
Can you gel stain a lighter color?
It’s always possible to darken a stained surface, but you cannot lighten a stained surface after the finish has dried. When the surface is still wet, you can try to lighten the color by scrubbing with mineral spirits. You can also thin Gel Stain with 10-15\% mineral spirits.
Can you darken stained wood without sanding?
Minwax® PolyShades® is an easy way to change the color of your currently stained or polyurethane finished wood. There’s no stripping or heavy sanding necessary to remove the old finish!
How do you lighten a stain before applying?
How to Thin Stain
- Step 1: Add Stain. Stir the stain to mix in any pigments that sunk to the bottom of the can, then pour an appropriate amount of stain into a spare container.
- Step 2: Add Mineral Spirits. Then add a measured amount of mineral spirits.
- Step 3: Test Stain. Grab some scrap wood, and test the thinned stain.
How do I make my stain darker?
7 Ways to Get a Darker Color
- Sand to a coarser grit. To get a darker coloring with any stain when you are wiping off the excess, sand to a coarser grit.
- Dirty wipe. A “dirty wipe” (right) produces a darker coloring by leaving more of the stain on the wood.
- Wet the wood before staining.
- Use dye.
- Toning.
Will vinegar lighten wood?
If you want to lighten the wood further, mop on a second application of freshly mixed oxalic acid solution. Pour a small pool of vinegar onto the wood, then spread it around with a cloth. On vertical surfaces, wipe with a cloth saturated with vinegar. Then wipe with a dry cloth and finish by rinsing with plain water.
How can I darken stained wood without stripping it?
- Step 1: Lightly Hand Sand. Using a light grit sanding block, lightly hand sand the entire surface of the wood piece that you would like to darken.
- Step 2: Clean Wood. Clean your entire piece thoroughly using a mild cleanser.
- Step 3: Apply Dark Gel Stain. Apply the gel stain using a chip brush.
- Step 4: Seal.
Can You darken stained wood?
Add multiple coats of stain to create a more worn look. This will also darken the wood, giving it a richer color. Create “freckles” on your wood by flicking stain using a paintbrush or toothbrush. This will give irregular small spots of dark color on the wood.
How to restain furniture darker?
The Toning Option. Shading the existing color of your furniture to hide worn areas and generally darken it involves a relatively simple procedure.
How do you stain wood darker?
The object is to rough up the surface of the wood evenly so that it absorbs stain evenly. Sand parallel with the grain pattern only. The stain will disappear from some areas faster than others producing a blotchy effect; that’s okay, it will not show up like that when you apply stain if the new stain is darker than the original.