2nd Coat Of Stain Lightens Wood? - FineWoodworking

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jlongster | Posted in Finishing on August 20, 2013 09:41am

Hey guys,

I’m new to staining/finishing wood. I recently built a red oak table, and I used General Finishes oil-based Mahogany stain. After waiting 24 hours to dry, I put on a second coat of stain, this time American Walnut, to give a slight browner color. However, it almost appears like the 2nd coat *removed* some of the 1st coat of the stain in some places. Mahogany is a deep red, but in some places the wood looks lighter than that. I actually like how it turned out, but I’m just confused how that could happen.

I know that pigment-based stains sit on top of the wood, but I thought it was sealed in, and it definitely should be dry after 24 hours. Is there any way that the 2nd coat of stain could actually remove some of the pigment from the first coat?

Replies

Rob_Sp | Aug 21, 2013 09:27am | #1
Because the solvent (oil) in the second coat is the same used

in the first, the oil redissolved the origonal coat thus removing some of the stain from the first or blending the two. You could have sealed with shellac before applying the second if you did not want the first disturbed.
jlongster | Aug 21, 2013 12:16pm | #2
Interesting, thanks. I've done tons of research, so how come I've *never* seen that mentioned anywhere? Everything, even General Finish's site itself, says that as long as you wait for the 1st coat to dry sufficiently (24 hours at least), you can apply a 2nd coat. It's weird to me that there was any warning about this. (I'm really just trying to understand the process)

I suppose you could use a rag to apply a light 2nd coat of stain and so that you don't have to wipe it off. Or at least be really careful to just lightly wipe off the 2nd coat.
SteveSchoene | Aug 28, 2013 12:45pm | #3
Did you wipe off excess stain from the initial application before letting it dry? You should not have the second coat dissolving the binder of the first, but if the first coat was applied heavily and not well wiped, the mechanical action of applying the second could have removed pigment. That would have been fragile anyway and a potential source of problems down the road. Wiping stains are not meant as paint with a strong film.

larryled | Oct 01, 2013 08:02am | #4
2nd coat lightens

There are always two things to consider when finishing with materials that you used on your project, low temperatures and high humidity. If either of these conditions exists, let the first coat dry for more than 24 hours, maybe even 48hrs or more. And if both conditions exists, it may take longer. And another point, if covering the first coat with schallac, don't expect the second coat to darken your first coat. The Shellac with actually block out the stain of the second coat. Gel stains are especially a problem under these conditions because of the wiping method of applying the Gels. LLL