How to Stain Pine and My Top 10 Minwax Stains

Join me in this tutorial on how to stain pine wood covering all of the materials you need and step-by-step instructions to achieve a flawless finish. I'll also be sharing my top 10 favorite Minwax stains plus a bonus 5 Minwax stain mixes.

- Timestamps and @MinwaxUSA Stain Colors -
0:00 Intro
0:36 Materials
9:38 Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
10:57 Top Coat after Staining
16:12 Natural
16:42 Fruitwood
17:08 Weathered Oak
17:43 Special Walnut
18:15 Early American
18:40 English Chestnut
19:00 Jacobean
19:34 Classic Gray
20:05 Aged Barrel
20:28 True Black
21:24 Minwax Stain Mixes
21:58 Early American + Weathered Oak (1:1)
22:48 Special Walnut + Classic Gray (1:1)
23:09 Special Walnut + Jacobean (2:1)
23:45 English Chestnut + Jacobean (2:1)
24:26 Aged Barrel + Jacobean (1:1)

[lwgrantsmom]

“Jack - uh - bee - an”

Thanks, such a helpful and informative packed video!

[adrianlouviere]

The best instruction on Staining for a beginner I have seen. Thank you so much.

[elza]

This is amazing!!!! I was loosing my mind trying to find a specific shade and here it is Special Walnut and Jacobean. You've managed to make a girl so happy and for that I am forever grateful ❤❤❤

[tienv]

I've never stain wood, pine nor oak before... Just browsing through YouTube to learn more ideas how to do it.. Came across your channel and your instructions, tips, demonstrations simply the best! Thank you for sharing your excellent tips 😊.. Please keep it up 👍

[DutchRobbie]

Thank you so much for demistifying what I've struggled with as a novice woodworking enthusiast!

[jefffaulkner]

Thank you for showing the mixed stains. Very nice demo.

[waynerasku]

I use pine almost exclusively. Yes, paper towels for small projects are great! I also use sponges for larger stain projects - I buy grout sponges and cut them into smaller pieces so they fit into the stain cans. I like your mixes and will be trying that in my own work. Well done and very thorough.

[guitaristb]

This video was so thorough and informative. Just what I was looking for. Keep ‘em coming!

[Ohmetrostation]

I've seen some interesting combinations and so far im looking to try out: fruitwood, gunstock with mahogany, and now early american with weathered oak. Thank you for all the tips and swatches from an experienced professional.

[woodrowsmith]

I have been staining wood since 1989. This is a very good tutorial. Tons of good information. My preference is also Minwax for staining. I have the 'feel' for it...I guess you could say. The wood conditioner is a MUST for pine, also for cherry and for western red alder.

My personal favorite is Puritan Pine (#218). Most popular with customers is Early American. Driftwood is popular, as is (and I can't believe it) Golden Oak. I have 'tinted' Golden Oak with grey to some success.

I use chemist's glassware when I mix colors of stain, primarily to achieve consistant results. A couple of those graduated cylinders are less than $30, and give me confidence I can successfully repeat colorations. They are also useful in reduction of topcoats especially when thinning for spray...which I do a lot of.

I also use the 100/150 progression with pine when sanding a product prior to stain. While many woodworking folk will recommend a 80/120/180 progression I want the stain to penetrate and find that anything past 150 grit doesn't allow as much penetration as I would like.

Finish is half the job, in my opinion. You can build a masterpiece and trash it with poorly applied finish work. It takes practice, and more practice, and finally some more practice to begin to get the 'perfect' finish. Always test the finish before application. Always test the topcoat for compatibility. Some stains will bleed through a clear coating. Some clear coats will fish-eye or blotch. It is a neverending learning process, but to me finish work is the most satisfying part of the craft.

[rrpp]

Very informative and helpful. I'd never heard the paper bag method and I didn't know one can mix stains to create unique stains. I will certainly try both. An idea for a future how-to video is re-staining an old weathered stained project and the best process for the best result. Thank you!

[dian]

Great tutorial! I built a side table for my daughter, and she wanted to match her bedroom furniture. We had 10 mixes of different colors and ratios. That was a lot of fun.
I used one of those really cheap metal coffee scoops. The stain wipes right off for the next dip. If I had had the Jacobean it might have only taken 3 tries 🤓

[sawdustcrypto]

Good stuff! I LOVE the mixed stain samples!

[YHWY_FAMILY_USA]

Very informative, liked, shared, saved and subscribed!

[B.A.Bassangler]

Great double blind study! I'm sure 9 out of 10 scientists would agree, lol, switch to shellac so you can use your glove stockpile! Nice job, everything came out very even, very clever to make a practical sample size for your customers. I LOVE the tru-black on my bougier workbenches (fir legs or mdf tops). For myself, I'm nearing the end of my stockpile of stain, and might experiment with dye and shellac or BLO. 200 - 221, whatever it takes....

[LeeEwing]

Ok you are freaking awesome, what a perfect video!! Thank you!

[rickhoupt]

Wow, very thorough video. Definitely hit all the important points.

[kperellie]

That waxy smooth feeling and look on Pine, and other milled wood is called mill glaze. As the rough wood is run through the milling process, planing, and jointing, resins in the wood form a hard waxy seal on the surface from the heat of the machinery cutters. It needs to be removed so any applied finish can penetrate and adhere properly. This even applies to new exterior Spruce clapboards and Pine trim, although for exterior mill glaze removal, applying a wood brightener and pressure washing removes it. Using hand planes does not cause mill glaze because there isn't enough heat made to create it. That's why in most cases, hand tool wood workers typically don't have to sand their projects.

[MichelSilvaYTB]

I am starting with staining and your video is the best one, thank you for your time. I still not able to have dark colors as yours, and I think the problem is the wood. Cann your share what is the wood you use? If you can share a link will help me a lot.

[jamesa]

I love English chestnut but like you mentioned it’s got a reddish look to it.