# Staining rough pine; board and batten



## the568 (Apr 24, 2016)

Hello all,

I'm about mid way through refinishing my garage with rough hewn pine in a board and batten style. From what I've read on the site so far, I've made a lot of mistakes, so please bear with me.

The boards are already up (overwintered) and I was starting to stain with Benjamin Moore Arborcoat transparent teak. After it had dried on my test board, I noticed that the stain looked a lot darker (and with far more red) than I had hoped. It also looks blotchy, although I did follow instructions on how to paint top down and backbrush. *Are there any tutorials you'd recommend I watch to see if I'm doing this correctly?* I am using a 4" 25mm thick stain brush (Nour).

My goal is to limit maintenance and have a colour that I can also apply to my fence and deck (not yet built).

A couple questions:
- Consumer Reports ranked the Arborcoat solid really well, which is why I tested it first and decided that it wasn't right as it didn't let any of the grain through. The transparent isn't ranked although the translucent is ranked poorly. *Has anyone had experience with the Behr Premium Semi-Transparent?* 

- Are there other products that I should consider instead of the two mentioned?

- What prep work do I need to do before I stain the unstained boards (I was planning on flipping the boards that are stained already to apply the new colour, if I go the route of buying new product).
Currently, the boards are clean and sanded lightly with an 80 grit sponge.

- Will I need to put a sealant on top of the stain? (I've read on the professional forums that many use a two coat system for decks and siding)

- What sort of maintenance schedule should I expect? 

It's my first major rehaul project and I'd really like to do it well. Thanks for your help!


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Pine is notorious for staining blotchy it is recommended to use a wood conditioner first. Can be bought at box store, does not change the color, but gives the stain a more uniform appearance. And throw away the Consumer Reports anyone that rates Behr as the best paint out there loses a lot of credibility IMHO.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Sounds like you want to put a fine wood finish on a rough cut pine. Its going to be next to impossible because your lumber is rough. No way to wipe off excess stain and pull the grain thru. 
Try your stain on a fine finish planed pine board. Wipe off excess.


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## jeffmattero76 (Jan 4, 2016)

I think part of the blotchiness can be blamed on the fact that you stopped sanding with 80 grit. I would recommend sanding with 80 grit then 150 grit then 220 grit in a "jitterbug" electric sander (not a random orbit sander). The jitterbug sander sands in a back and forth motion rather than a circular motion. Always sand with the grain. Then use wood conditioner as mentioned above then apply and wipe off the stain. I apply it with a microfiber roller and wipe it off quickly. If it is not dark enough you can always fo it again. If you let it stsy on too long and it gets darker than you wanted it is almost impossible to lighten it. 

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

jeffmattero76 said:


> I think part of the blotchiness can be blamed on the fact that you stopped sanding with 80 grit. I would recommend sanding with 80 grit then 150 grit then 220 grit in a "jitterbug" electric sander (not a random orbit sander). The jitterbug sander sands in a back and forth motion rather than a circular motion. Always sand with the grain. Then use wood conditioner as mentioned above then apply and wipe off the stain. I apply it with a microfiber roller and wipe it off quickly. If it is not dark enough you can always fo it again. If you let it stsy on too long and it gets darker than you wanted it is almost impossible to lighten it.
> 
> Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk



Before I used this process on a entire garage, I would remove the boards and run them thru a surface planer.

can you post a couple pics including a close up of the wood surface condition


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Why would you sand rough cut boards?

Personally, I'd pick a lighter stain. Don't worry about the fence and deck matching. In fact, you may want them to have a contrasting color/shade.

The blotching? Without using a wood conditioner, it will be that way. But even with the conditioner, there will be some blotching. A year or two in the sun, and you won't notice or care.

5 Years from now you will be painting it.


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