# stain the surface so we dont see the woodgrain?



## geodost (May 31, 2009)

i did a couple examples on red oak .people confused me-wedont want to see the woodgrain but we dont want to paint it.atleast not so enhanced.can you dothe stain but without emphasizing the grain.im lost.may be some had a situation likethat?


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

If they don't want to see the grain they probably shouldn't be staining it. The stain will sink into the pores of the grain and accentuate it. I recently was working on a stain color match that was driving me crazy. Anyway, you may want to try either doing just poly or doing a coat of wood filler (to fill as much grain as possible) sand that then poly then a stain (probably not technically right or a glaze (technically right but I have never seen a glaze proper on a shelf at a paint store. I don't know if by glaze finishers simply mean a stain color coat applied after a sealer or poly coat. Long story short, the poly coat and grain filling will reduce the ability of the stain to pool in the wood accentuating the grain but still giving color to the work. Make sure to give the color coat lots of time to dry as it will have nothing to soak into, it's just going to be an oil sitting on top of the substrate and will be fragile to the touch/walk on.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

Use a grain filler, & then stain. The filler will fill the voids that accentuate the grain. You prbably need to do a glaze though rather than just a stain.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

Metro,
Nice timing, & even better answer!
Joe


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Railman said:


> Metro,
> Nice timing, & even better answer!
> Joe


Thanks,

So what exactly makes a glaze and where do you get it/make it?


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Depends on what _they_ consider grain to be. If they don't want to see the graining of the wood you can do a stain with heavy pigments and then do a toner coat with pigments. This will hide the grain. If they consider the grain to be the textured patterns that you can see, then you will need to grain fill. The only way not to see the pattern grain is to cover it up. You might as well paint it. You can also fill the grain and not see the texture but still see the pattern. You need to ask what "grain" they mean.


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## HomeElements (Nov 9, 2009)

geodost said:


> i did a couple examples on red oak .people confused me-wedont want to see the woodgrain but we dont want to paint it.atleast not so enhanced.can you dothe stain but without emphasizing the grain.im lost.may be some had a situation likethat?


 
If you have shown them samples of each possibility and they do not know what to do, its their problem. My 2 cents just shoe them a sample of what you can do in each, other thatn that what else can you do.....oh and make sure you show them the samples outside (or whever the light is comming from) you know how people are "well it didnt look this way when you showed it to me in my house!!!! this is not the same!!!)


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Show them the samples in the room the wood will be in. You can't take a floor or something nailed to the wall outside.


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## geodost (May 31, 2009)

good idea with glaze.....may be.primethe wood/base color it/glaze it with gell stain+gell+miniral spirit/seal it.you think it might work?
woodfiller is a good idea too.but thats just too much:no:....its not just one thing......thanx guys


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

Does it have to be Red Oak? If you don't like to see grain, red oak is about the worst you could use. You need something with a straight grain like maybe mahogany.


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## 4thGeneration (Nov 23, 2006)

Before you go any deeper, get their budget and feel out if they can even afford what needs to be done. Its definitely a specialty coating, so they will pay a premium.

If they will not share that, figure up all your costs associated for labor and products with what you want to have for a profit margin and shoot them that without the hows of doing it. The last thing you want to do is educate a some other contractor if they decide to go the cheap route and hope for the best for their project.


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## Rcon (Nov 19, 2009)

To hide grain, the best way to do it is to use a wood conditioner - and apply it until the wood stops readily absorbing it. Let it sit for 5 mins, wipe off, and allow to dry for 15 mins. Apply stain, then tone the wood with colored tonecoats (mix of stain + clear + reducer @ 25-50%) until you get the right color. Make sure all your products are compatible with eachother (DO A SAMPLE, DOING 3 IS BETTER TO MAKE SURE YOU'LL GET CONSISTENCY, AND WRITE DOWN YOUR PROCESS FOR EACH SAMPLE). Topcoat with at least 1 unreduced clearcoat, 2 is better. 

Do a sample FIRST, get it APPROVED by having them *sign it*, Keep the sample (do NOT give it to them) and charge 2.5x what you would to simply apply stain and clear, because this is custom work and takes a helluva lot longer to do.


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