Many of us aren’t familiar with the rules of staining. So when you’re stuck with a piece of furniture that’s perfect – except for the color. Maybe it isn’t the shade you would prefer, or it is good but doesn’t match your room’s interior. Hence, you might wonder if you can re-stain it without the hassle of sanding and other steps of the process. Therefore, can you stain over stain? Keep reading to know all about it in this blog.
Can You Stain Over Old Stain?
Now, to answer the question: Yes, you can stain over the old stain. As a matter of fact, the process is relatively simple. You’ll receive the best results if you put a dark stain over a light stain. Furthermore, you can mix two or more stains to make your own custom stain.
Before starting the project, decide whether you want to refresh the existing stain or go for a new one.
How Can You Stain Over Existing Stain?
Don’t directly jump into staining the wood. Instead, try testing what you want to do in a smaller area first. This will help up see the results since wood reacts with colors differently. Also, ensure that you stain a hidden spot and give it 24 hours to dry.
The type of stain you use will help determine the process. Usually, there are two options: traditional liquid stains and gel stains. The one with traditional stains requires more effort and might work for projects with lightning stains. On the other hand, the gel stains will require light sanding at most. It is an appropriate stain for darkening projects and changes in color tones.
For gel stains, you’ll need to sand the wood lightly. Then, you can apply the gel stain on top of the existing stain. You can treat gel stains as paint as they sit on top of the wood. Thus, any existing finish will not disrupt the outcomes of gel stains much.
In the case of traditional stains, they penetrate the surface of the wood. Hence, the existing finish on top of the wooden furniture can interfere with the process. Consequently, you’ll not get the desired results.
Is It Important to Remove the Old Stain Before Restaining?
It is not required to remove the old stain before refraining, depending on the project. For instance, you’ll not have to scrape the existing stain if you want to darken the shade of your wood project.
But if you want to lighten the shade, chemical strippers can help remove the old stain. Nevertheless, it depends on the material you’re starting with.
In case you’re working on a solid wood surface, you can take off the old finish using an orbital sander. Otherwise, using a lighter stain on a darker shade might not work. In fact, the surface might appear darker.
Tips for Staining Over Stain
Here are a few staining tips that can help if you want to stain over stain:
- Oil, water, and gel-based stains will look beautiful if you’re darkening a light shade.
- You can mix the same types of stain to make a DIY custom stain.
- You can warm up cooler-toned stains by using warm-toned colors.
- Test the stain on a hidden spot before starting the process.
- Staining over polyurethane and product finish like wax, varnish, or shellac is not advised. Remove the topcoat before
- staining unless you’re using gel stains.
- You can apply gel stain over an existing stain or finish with light sanding.
What Should I Do?
You can stain over an existing stain, but there are specific rules to keep in mind. This is why you should contact TX Homeworx for the best results. Dial (281) 841 6146 to contact us now.