Sticky stain

[Griff]

So I have to admit I'm starting to get pissed off! Anytime I try to stain a project my stain is super sticky before I can even wipe off any excess!!! Why? What am I doing wrong I've tried everything I've seen on line I try and wipe on a stain I try brushing it on I try a foam brush anything I use my stain comes out freaking sticky and looks like crap! I can build things all day and can't paint like no one's business but when it comes to stain it looks like crap I'm getting soooo frustrated beyond belief!!!!! Help me please before I start breaking stuff!!!

[Gary]

5 hours ago, Griff said:

So I have to admit I'm starting to get pissed off! Anytime I try to stain a project my stain is super sticky before I can even wipe off any excess!!! Why? What am I doing wrong I've tried everything I've seen on line I try and wipe on a stain I try brushing it on I try a foam brush anything I use my stain comes out freaking sticky and looks like crap! I can build things all day and can't paint like no one's business but when it comes to stain it looks like crap I'm getting soooo frustrated beyond belief!!!!! Help me please before I start breaking stuff!!!

I'll echo Lester's comment by suggesting that it not be too hot when you're applying stain. 

If you must use stain, don't be too precious about it... get rid of the foam brush and flood the stain on to the piece. Use a cheap brush (chip brush) to spread the stain around fast. If you're applying slowly to avoid the mess; mess-proof your area and wear a smock or apron. Get the stain down fast. Finally, wipe the excess off more quickly. Leaving stain sit won't give you a lot of benefit, so start wiping back almost immediately. 

In all honesty, when I have to color wood, I've gone entirely to dyes. You can get more vibrant colors, have more control over the shade and you don't hide the actual grain and figure of the wood. Transtint dyes are a good place to start, but there are others available. They are soluble in either water or alcohol, so no mineral spirits stink to deal with. 

 

[treeslayer]

you do know they do make de-caf coffee griff seriously the hot days are not the best for any stain, i just waited 10 days for a pair of doors i had to stain for a remodeling project at my house. i ended up moving the doors into the air-conditioned house just so i could keep working in the shop.  follow garys advice and you won't go wrong

[gee-dub]

I can feel the frustration in your post.  As others have said, knowing the product will help us give you better responses.  A quick description of your material, your surface preparation protocol and the environment will help too.  Something like; "using Minwax Polyshades on cherry in a well ventilated garage with the door open, its 80 degrees but, the air feels nice and dry", or whatever.

[wdwerker]

One error I see lots of people making with stain is sanding way too much and polishing the surface. That prevents much of the stain from soaking in. The darker you want the stain to take means sanding to a coarser grit. I rarely sand above 150 when staining and 120 is often enough.

Another trick is  random orbit sanding to 180 then go over every surface with 150 by hand with the grain.  You are cutting the surface very smooth and then opening up the surface to allow absorption. Stains like Minwax have particles that get into the scratches and resin to keep them there. More advanced stains have a mixture of dyes and pigments.

As I am transitioning over to water based stains using a dye to color the wood partway towards my goal then adding a coat of stain over that background gives me better results.

For really dark colors I spray either an alcohol or acetone based dye that is thinned out 50% or more than recommend , several light layers and build to the level of color needed. Heavy coats can be very uneven and leave stripes. A slightly wider fan & lighter coats with close attention to a 50% overlap works better. The acetone based dyes like Microtone dry super fast so sneaking up on how dark you want it is quick. They have water based too but I haven't learned much about those yet. Sprayed dyes don't get wiped back so practice before you tackle that cabinet or furniture !

[Eric.]

You could use real wood that doesn't need to be stained?

[Griff]

I was using minwax polyshades in a air conditioned garage I sanded my project to 180 added a coat of i guess 1 lb cut of shellac came back the next day sanded lightly with 220 by hand wiped of any dust and started to apply the stain by rag by the time I applied 10 in to the board it was already so sticky my rag was getting stuck!! I think I'm gonna try a different kind of stain I'm needing a color as close to mission oak as possible?? Any idea on a better stain than polyshades?? I've never used dyes such as transtint wouldn't know where to start thanks for the info I should also say I'm much more calm now lol

[midtnwoodworker]

Using polyshades is the problem. Since you have already sealed the surface with shellac you will need to use a gel stain or sand back to bare wood to get an oil based stain to penetrate to the desired level.

Use this. (just the type not color)

Not polyshades.

I always apply stain with an old sock. I dip it in the stain and wipe it into the surface. I never flood the surface with stain but rub it in rather aggressively. That's just my method there are plenty of other ways to go about it.

[drzaius]

What Lester said. Polyshades is just polyurethane with pigment added to give it color. The more coats applied, the more it colors the wood. If your just trying to add a hint of color, I've found it's easier to approach what you want using it rather than stain. But as others have suggested, dye is much better if you have to color the wood.