Staining Shelves

[stevec59]

Hi,
I've started to stain the shelves that I'm going to put up and I've noticed that the edge of the wood is very dark, I assume that the stain has settled there thicker, how do I get around this? I wasn't sure if I should rub gently with some fine sandpaper or try white spirt to remove it?
I still have one more coat one side to do then another coat both sides and maybe varnish. How do I stop the build up of stain on the edges?

Many Thanks

Steve

 

[matz]

what make and type of stain are you using? if from the sheds, its likely water based. Is it building up on the face of the edge of the shelf or the top corner of the edge? Also what are the shelves made of?

 

[foxhole]

End grain is always darker as it can penetrate deeper, quickly.

 

[stevec59]

what make and type of stain are you using? if from the sheds, its likely water based. Is it building up on the face of the edge of the shelf or the top corner of the edge? Also what are the shelves made of?

It's from B&Q there colours range, the Mrs picket it out, its building up on the edge, I haven't looked today, so it might be both long edges. The shelves are made of plain white wood, no idea what it is though, I bought it from a timer shop but it was cheap, I'd guess something like plain white spruce

 

[matz]

ah are you talking about the ends of the shelf cos if so Foxhole has it.....

 

[stevec59]

Yes the ends are darker but I'm not concerned about that, it's the front and back edge that are dark. I must admit when I've been doing the staining I do one side top or bottom and edge at the same time, maybe that is why, but what is the best way to get rid of the dark edge?

Thanks

Steve

 

[matz]

reasons for stain build up is 1) stain drying before you can wipe it all off 2) some bits of the wood is more porous than others ie rough. Issue 1 is caused mostly by not wiping stain off fast enough (or not wiping at all) or using a stain that evaporates very quickly ie spirit stain. The bigger the item the more critical it is to wipe off surplus fast. BQ stain will likely be water based as they have phased out spirit based products due to H&S so assume you are using water based. Unless the shelf is huge ie 2m+ long then water stain will stay wet enough to be wiped off evenly. Using a water stain in a baking hot room will mean it dries much more quickly so a risk of drying out before wiping off. Staining should be done by wiping or brushing stain on keeping it wet then wiping it all off again using copious amounts of kitchen towel. If you didnt apply it this way that may explain the build up. Assuming the stain is water stain, to fix this I would wipe generous amount of water to shelf to remove as much stain as possible mopping it up with kitchen towel then leaving to dry and hope that the dark bits remove. If they do, after leaving to dry, give it a sand with 240g abrasive paper to flatten grain and re apply stain as above. If the dark bits are still there it will be because the wood surface where they are is rougher and more absorbent so it needs sanding smooth but then to do it properly you need to sand the whole lot to get uniform surface. The crucial thing is find out why the wood has stained too dark in parts as that will determine the way forward...

Finishing sounds easy - it aint! so much to it that affects end result which the average person will not even think of.

edit
stain the top flat face and the front edge in one go, then the underside being careful not to let the stain go onto the already stained edge then finally do back edge.

 

[matz]

also make sure you know what the base of the stain is for sure. Wash off water stain with water. Wash off spirit stain with white spirit. Spirit stain in the sheds is actually white spirit based so should be called oil stains. In the trade they alcohol based in which case you would wash off with meths. Check your stain by seeing on the tin what to wash the brushes out in. Confusing yes

 

[stevec59]

Thanks Matz, that explains it, I haven't been wiping at all after applying the stain, it doesn't say anything about that on the tin. I think you're right, I think it's water based as the brush can be washed in water, so I'll give the edges a wipe over with kitchen roll and I'll remember when I apply the next coat or coats to wipe it off immediately.

Thanks again

Steve