# Applying stain to pine?



## GregM (23 Jun 2014)

I've done a bit of reading up and from the sounds of it if you apply a stain to pine wood you can get lots of blotching.

To stop the blotching it is advised to use a pre-stain conditioner. All of the topics I've read on it advise using a product called MinWax, but this is an American product and I can't seem to find it in the UK.

They also say you can use dewaxed shellac, but I can't seem to find this either. 

Can anyone recommend a product I can use to seal the pine before staining it?


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## Terry Smart (23 Jun 2014)

Pah! Pre-stain conditioner... rolls eyes and scoffs.

All you need is a diluted (50/50) coat of Shellac Sanding Sealer applied over the whole piece. This will seal the bits that need it and do nothing on the bits that don't, giving a more even absorption of the stain when applied.


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## GregM (23 Jun 2014)

Thanks Terry. This is the stuff I am after then. Do you know where I can it. Checked online at B&Q/Wickes - can't seem to find it. Will I need to get it from a specialist wood shop?

Update: Amazon sell this: Briwax 500ml Shellac Sanding Sealer.


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## Terry Smart (23 Jun 2014)

GregM":354vdqvd said:


> Thanks Terry. This is the stuff I am after then. Do you know where I can it. Checked online at B&Q/Wickes - can't seem to find it. Will I need to get it from a specialist wood shop?
> 
> Update: Amazon sell this: Briwax 500ml Shellac Sanding Sealer.



Ah well, I'm sure you'll use on of our products another time...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr...words=chestnut+shellac&ie=UTF8&qid=1403516721


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## monkeybiter (23 Jun 2014)

Axminster Warrington is only 10m from Halton, you could get some from there. 

I've applied a Rustins dark oak stain, heavily diluted, with a brush to untreated pine, no blotching. I've ragged it on too, lots of blotching. With the low cost of the timber you could test a bit first.


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## GregM (23 Jun 2014)

Awesome. Thanks. Might just stop there on the way home.


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## mrpercysnodgrass (24 Jun 2014)

FYI.
De-waxed shellac is sold here as white shellac. It is the only truly transparent shellac. It is used to polish over inlays, especially metal inlays as it does not alter the colour but because it is de-waxed is very brittle and scratches easily. As Terry said, sanding sealer will do the same job.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Jun 2014)

Slightly off tack, but it seems an appropriate place and time to ask - what are the advantages of shellac over cellulose and vice versa?


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## mrpercysnodgrass (24 Jun 2014)

phil.p":mamrx8o8 said:


> Slightly off tack, but it seems an appropriate place and time to ask - what are the advantages of shellac over cellulose and vice versa?



I'm not sure there is any advantage to one or the other but more a question of compatibility. If you are to use a resin finish then shellac would be the one to use. If you used a cellulose lacquer on top of a shellac sealer it would almost certainly melt it. While you can certainly apply a resin finish on top of a cellulose sealer I would wonder how it will stay knitted together in the long term, as the cellulose is harder it would not expand and contract at the same rate as the resin finish and would be more susceptible to cracking and delamination.


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