For people who love doing DIY projects, the staining and painting process will be one of the steps that they are looking for. Not only because of the process but also because it’s always exciting to try a new tool and technique. It’s because each tool and technique will give a different result whether it’s from the overall finish, textures, or intensity.
When it comes to a wood staining process, it’s one of the methods that you can do to preserve the beauty of your wooden elements, especially if they are installed outdoors. Those outdoor elements that you may have are fences, decks, patios, tables, chairs, doghouses, and other wooden elements.
Some benefits that you will get from staining a wooden element are:
Preserve the natural color of the wood that can’t be achieved by painting it.
Protect the wood because it seals the pores and prevents it from taking water. Besides adding color, the treatment also adds a layer of protection from the sun’s UV rays, minimizing or preventing discoloration.
Simple process since it does not require the use of primers and similar products. Although you may need to recoat the item after some time, it will not take as much time as repainting.
Save more budget since a stain product is much cheaper than paint, to begin with.
Once everything is ready, now you can start the process. These are the steps:
Double Check the Sprayer
A few days before using the sprayer, please make sure that it works properly and is clean. It’s because you don’t want to use a broken and dirty sprayer that will affect the result of your work.
To clean the sprayer, fill the sprayer with clean water and see the condition of the water. If it’s dirty, keep using the sprayer until the water that comes out is clean. If it’s clean then you’re ready to go.
Conditioning the Surrounding
Set your surroundings clean and safe for a smooth process, to ensure minimal mess and your comfort when doing the process because you will have plenty of tools and equipment around.
If you are working outdoors in your backyard, move all furniture or any other items such as a grill, and cover all nearby shrubs, bushes, and plants with plastic tarps.
If you are working in an indoor room, please make sure to open any ventilation elements. Although you have your own protective gear, it’s better to let the chemical content out right away. Just like the previous step, cover up or move items away from the spraying area.
Test the Sprayer and Stain
Testing the tool you will be using is to make sure that you get the right color, pressure, and result. You can do this test on another wooden surface that you don’t use.
For the sprayer, use the right sprayer tip based on the size of the wood surface and the type of stain you use. In general,
For the pressure, you should use a low pressure setting, which is not more than 100 PSI. Otherwise, the possibility of damaging the wood is higher.
For a seamless result, you have to spray from end to end, not just until the middle because it will leave a marking on the surface.
It’s also recommended to avoid windy days because the product and any overspray can travel so will stain the wall and other furniture around the area.
To get the best result, some important notes that you have to be careful of are:
Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the stain.
If you are using more than one container of stain products, mix them together instead of using them one by one. This way, you can get a consistent result and avoid an uneven color that can make the wood looks unattractive.
Always use the pressure at the lowest level because it allows you to maintain a good spray pattern, will give better control, and a finer finish.
Start spraying the surface from end to end, not just until the middle because it will leave a marking on the surface.
Star spraying the outer edges first then continue with the corner.
Keep the layer as thin as possible that you can get by spraying from about 12 inches from the surface.
Always keep your brush ready within your reach because you will need it to wipe pooling and to reach small spots.
Once you get the color you want, let it dry for a few minutes or based on the manufacturer’s guides.
Cleaning Up
For the stain: follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to keep it safe.
For the surrounding: remove any plastic tarp that covers the furniture, plants, wall, and other items.
For the sprayer: clean the tool as soon as you finish the work by doing a power cleaning.
For the furniture: put them all back in their original place.
Staining with Airless Sprayer
Double Check the Sprayer
A few days before using the sprayer, please make sure that it works properly and is clean. It’s because you don’t want to use a broken and dirty sprayer that will affect the result of your work.
To clean the sprayer, fill the sprayer with clean water and see the condition of the water. If it’s dirty, keep using the sprayer until the water that comes out is clean. If it’s clean then you’re ready to go.
Conditioning the Surrounding
Set your surroundings clean and safe for a smooth process, to ensure minimal mess and your comfort when doing the process because you will have plenty of tools and equipment around.
If you are working outdoors in your backyard, move all furniture or any other items such as a grill, and cover all nearby shrubs, bushes, and plants with plastic tarps.
If you are working in an indoor room, please make sure to open any ventilation elements. Although you have your own protective gear, it’s better to let the chemical content out right away. Just like the previous step, cover up or move items away from the spraying area.
Test the Sprayer and Stain
Testing the tool you will be using is to make sure that you get the right color, pressure, and result. You can do this test on another wooden surface that you don’t use.
For the sprayer, use the right sprayer tip based on the size of the wood surface and the type of stain you use. In general,
For the pressure, you should use a low pressure setting, which is not more than 100 PSI. Otherwise, the possibility of damaging the wood is higher.
For a seamless result, you have to spray from end to end, not just until the middle because it will leave a marking on the surface.
It’s also recommended to avoid windy days because the product and any overspray can travel so will stain the wall and other furniture around the area.
To get the best result, some important notes that you have to be careful of are:
Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the stain.
If you are using more than one container of stain products, mix them together instead of using them one by one. This way, you can get a consistent result and avoid an uneven color that can make the wood looks unattractive.
Always use the pressure at the lowest level because it allows you to maintain a good spray pattern, will give better control, and a finer finish.
Start spraying the surface from end to end, not just until the middle because it will leave a marking on the surface.
Star spraying the outer edges first then continue with the corner.
Keep the layer as thin as possible that you can get by spraying from about 12 inches from the surface.
Always keep your brush ready within your reach because you will need it to wipe pooling and to reach small spots.
Once you get the color you want, let it dry for a few minutes or based on the manufacturer’s guides.
Cleaning Up
For the stain: follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to keep it safe.
For the surrounding: remove any plastic tarp that covers the furniture, plants, wall, and other items.
For the sprayer: clean the tool as soon as you finish the work by doing a power cleaning.
For the furniture: put them all back in their original place.
Staining with HVLP Sprayer
HVLP sprayer stands for High Volume Low Pressure and will give a soft sprayer with lesser overspray than a conventional air gun. An HVLP sprayer has some advantages that you can consider, they are:
Easy to use with adjustable pressure and low velocity.
It produces less overspray and emits fewer pollutants.
It uses a large volume of air to apply coatings then converts that air to low pressure and reduces the amount of waste and overspray.
It can spray most paints and stains and comes with a 1.8 millimeter nozzle for precise precision.
Easy to clean.
The basic step for using an HVLP sprayer is the same as the previous tools. However, for people who are not too familiar with this type of tool, it might be difficult to control and will be resulting in uneven markings. Still, this sprayer worth to buy seeing how the feature it has.
What to Prepare for a Good Result
Just like painting, to get a great staining result you have to make sure to:
Prepare the surface by sanding from coarse to fine sand paper. If the wood is not too rough, you can use 80 – 100 grit paper and work your way up to about 220 grit. If the wood is rougher, consider using lower grit sandpaper to start.
Remove all residue with tack clothe or shop vac. You can also use an appropriate solvent.
Choose the right spray equipment. Air assist airless is faster and good for high production while spray guns allow for greater control of your finish application. It’s also important to choose the right tip based on the stain type and the size of the surface.
Spraying technique. Overlap each spray pass by about 30 percent of the previous pass and do not over-apply stain rather consider multiple coats.
Those are three methods that you can do to stain a wooden surface with three kinds of sprayers. Painting is great but if you are looking for a more natural wood finish with its natural lines, then staining is a better option. Of course, you will have to recoat it after a few years but it will not cost you higher than painting.
Moreover, there are a few other benefits that you can get from staining such as protecting the wood from rotting, keeping its natural aesthetic appearance, and saving more budget.
Now check your wooden furniture or outdoor element and start staining it now!