Staining multiple types of wood in a project

[cronus52]

I am taking on a project of building a bed for my 4 year old boy. My original thought was to build the bed with a mdf base under the mattress and pine for all other parts, and paint everything. Now I am thinking I want a stained look instead of paint. In order to do this I can use a 3/4 oak or birch plywood and the remaining parts would again be pine (trying to keep it on the cheap side) Is there much of a color difference if I stain 2 different species of wood in the same project?

Thanks for any advice I can get

Scott

[JMadson Custom Wood]

Oak and pine will look incredibly different, no matter what stain you use. The grain pattern and the size of the pores are just too different. The birch ply can work with pine, especially if you use a gel stain to add the color. The gel stain will mask some of the minor color differences.

[duckkisser]

with the different density and hardness of the two woods plus the fact that oak has more tannons in it then pine you staining is going to always look different oak will be darker unless you want to go to extreams and spend lots of time and money to get it lighter. if you are working with two woods then use the difference to make your piece stronger use the different colors so that it looks intentional. eample use oak on the bars but make the rest out of pine.

[Mark Reuten]

It would be helpful to see a drawing of the design to offer up some more useful suggestions but you may be able to acquire some pine veneered ply. If it is a typical headboard/footboard/connecting rails type of construction I would just use solid wood throughout.

Just remember to use a sealer coat before staining the pine. Sanding sealer or washcoat of shellac.

[bois]

One option here might be to use a glazing technique instead of a stain. One of the problems with staining different species like this is that they will attract the stain particles differently and further highlight differences in grain patterns and pore structures. But with a glaze, you completely seal the wood first with a varnish and then apply one or more coats of stain on top. This way, the stain sits on top of the sealer rather than soaking into the pores, and you have a great deal more control over the final look. You can even use mineral spirits to remove the stain completely if you don't like the results. This does also obscure the natural grain of the wood a bit, but that's exactly what you want in this situation. This is how many mass produced stores like pottery barn can create very consistent and even finishes on their pieces despite wide variations in the stock.