# Staining regular #2 lumber (pine) dark walnut



## nolo (Apr 14, 2009)

I am building a canopy and need to stain the wood a dark walnut color. I am using regular pine 2x6 and 4x4 lumber. They are not pressure treated. I have read that pine is very hard to stain. Should I use a wood conditioner prior to applying the stain. I noticed the water based conditioner can be tinted. I'm not sure if the oil based version can be. Should I tint this the same color (dark walnut)? My plan is to use a wood conditioner (tinted if possible). I would then stain (1 coat) and add 2 coats of polyurethane.


How would you stain the wood?


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## Cedar fly (Feb 14, 2011)

If it were me I would sand it down, then add stain conditioner, but some guys say that it causes blotchiness. Never personally used the conditioner


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## Jesse17 (Jan 12, 2012)

Not saying you're wrong, but regular hardware store 2x6 is 'usually' Douglas Fir not pine. Another option I've heard, but have never tried is using a conditioner/sealer and then a gel stain that sits on the surface. I've stained pine and Douglas Fir before, and have had issues with botches sometimes and not others. The biggest issue for me with dark stains has been the white wood absorbs so much more stain that it comes out darker than the heart wood. But, I've never tried using conditioner.


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## nolo (Apr 14, 2009)

Jesse17 said:


> Not saying you're wrong, but regular hardware store 2x6 is 'usually' Douglas Fir not pine. Another option I've heard, but have never tried is using a conditioner/sealer and then a gel stain that sits on the surface. I've stained pine and Douglas Fir before, and have had issues with botches sometimes and not others. The biggest issue for me with dark stains has been the white wood absorbs so much more stain that it comes out darker than the heart wood. But, I've never tried using conditioner.


It is a regional on the types of wood. In Florida, we use pine.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

Is this an interior or an exterior project?


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## nolo (Apr 14, 2009)

HowardAcheson said:


> Is this an interior or an exterior project?


It will be an interior project.


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## Eindecker (Mar 4, 2012)

I hope to do the same thing. I am making bunk beds with 2x4's and 2x6's from Home Despot. I think using the conditioner, then gel stain, then poly is the way to go.


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## Evilfrog (Aug 2, 2011)

*These are the best pictures*

Taken with my Iphone a few years ago. These are pine baseboards that I made, with conditioner and a walnut stain. (oil) The ones on the left haven't had their stain wiped off yet. You can see how uneven the stain still comes out even with the conditioner. However, this was the look I was going for, and it works well in the space that we built.


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## Eindecker (Mar 4, 2012)

After reading some of the other threads on the forum, I think I'll try using thinned shellac as a conditioner prior to the gel stain and poly. I'm ok with a little botching, I know with the wood I'm using I can only achieve a rustic look at best anyhow. I thought your photo of the stained baseboards looked fine for the look I want to achieve.


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## nolo (Apr 14, 2009)

I ended up sanding the wood and applying wood conditioner. I used a rag to apply the stain, and it came out better than expected. I noticed if I put too much stain on it would become blotchy. By using the rag, I was able to control the amount of stain that I applied while blending it in. I topped it off with two coats of polyurethane.


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