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A client in Boise told me my stain was blotchy on a pine table
I was finishing a big farmhouse table for them last week, and they pointed out some uneven spots I hadn't even noticed. They said, 'It looks like it drank the stain in some spots and not others.' I realized I'd been applying the stain with a rag and not wiping it off fast enough on the soft wood. Now I use a pre-stain wood conditioner on all my pine projects before I even open the can. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific brand of conditioner for pine?
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schmidt.karen11d ago
My uncle's a cabinetmaker in Spokane and he swears by skipping the conditioner entirely. He thins his first coat of oil-based stain with mineral spirits, about a 1:4 ratio, and applies it as a seal coat. After that dries, the full-strength stain goes on even. I tried it on a test piece of knotty pine and it worked way better than any pre-stain product I've bought.
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