Wood Staining

I'd recommend getting a water based stain and having gloves and a drop cloth down. It's actually super easy. Just brush a little stain on, wait a couple minutes (the longer you leave it, the darker the color), and wipe off the excess. Make sure to let it dry all the way before you do your writing. If you're going to use a Cricut and vinyl, you may find it easier to use HTV instead of permanent vinyl. If you're using paint or chalk pens, you'll probably want to seal it first with Polycrylic (or the like) before writing.

Not for my wedding but I've stained wood and it's fairly simple. I recently did a 2 x 10 and screwed mason jars to it. you don't need a lot of stain a little goes a long way. I applied it with a sponge brush and then used a cloth to wipe it after

I find it much easier to apply with a cloth or towel than with a brush. You have a lot better control. We made both of these for our wedding.

It’s super easy to stain wood, and as PP said, a little goes a long way. I stained some shelves and tables my FFIL built for me and if I can do it anyone can.

My biggest tip is to make sure you use a thicker cloth or paper towel so you don’t get splinters!

You got this! There are a ton of YouTube tutorials that are really great showing exactly how to do it!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much for the tips! I’m a bit nervous to try but I guess if I mess up I can try again! 😂

View Quoted Comment Thank you for the reply!!!

View Quoted Comment Oh those are gorgeous!! Did you just use like a corner of the towel then?

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your reply 😊

View Quoted Comment Great tip! Those stink! But thank you! And I will definitely check out some YouTube videos

I have! We're doing the table numbers, card box, and welcome sign ourselves. Use a towel to stain the wood. Brushes just move the stain around and it creates streaks. Also, a little goes a long way. If it doesn't come out as dark as you want, let it dry and do another coat.

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Would you say that the stain turns out pretty close to the color you choose? Or is lighter/darker once applied? Thank you for the tips!

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It's relatively close as long as you don't slather it on there too much. A little goes a long way. I'd be happy to take a picture of the stain we're using and the way the table numbers turned out when I get home

View Quoted Comment Okay okay. I just know somethings things, like paint, can be different! And that would be amazing — thank you so much for that 😊

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You'll be totally fine. Wedding sign staining is actually a thousand percent easier than furniture staining, which is what I've done with my stain in the past. If one side turns out better than the other, just use that side. I use the Varathane water based stain from Home Depot; I like the dark walnut color. I haven't done any staining for my wedding, but did some for my coworker's and my sister's. I promise it'll turn out great! I use paper towels if I don't have a brush around to wipe the stain on/off.

Yes! Staining is so easy and fun. Definitely use a water based one. Home Depot, Lowe’s, and michaels have a huge range of colors for pretty cheap.

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Here’s the photos of the stain we did! I’m going to write the table numbers in white. If you write on them with paint, you’re gonna wanna seal them with a finish so the words don’t chip. We use Polycrylic water based finish! Let me know if you have any questions

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Thank you!! Yes I would say that is super close to the color displayed. Thank you for sharing

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Hi!! Did you use a pre stain before actually staining the wood?