Why you should NOT use interior wood stain

If you walk into the hardware store today and look for interior wood stain, you will probably find at least a hundred options. A search for “wood stain” on a big box store website returns over a thousand results! Not only are there different brands to choose from, but there are countless colors and optimized uses. There are various base materials, different finish sheens and recommended application methods.

Clearly, there is a huge market for these products. And don’t get me wrong, 9:10 Wood Shop has spent plenty of money on wood stains. But, after more than a decade in the business, we have chosen to avoid using interior wood stains as much as possible. In this post we will explain the reasons why we reduced our use of interior wood stains and tell you our number one alternative.

Reason # 1 – Inconsistent Results

Let me start with a story. We built a beautiful desk for my work from home set up, which I absolutely love. The base is painted white with a cabinet, drawer and solid sides. The top is made from ash that we decided to stain. And I really love the way top turned out. It has a reddish brown tint that really compliments the rest of our décor.

Fast forward a few weeks. We decided to build a hallway table for the same room with the expectation of them matching. When we applied the stain to the top, it seemed like a completely different color. It was so different, we even thought we used the wrong stain. So we sanded the table down to fresh wood, and re-stained. Except, the color was still way off.

We used the exact same container of stain and it used within a few weeks of opening. We shook the can both times, used the same base material, and had the same climate controlled environment. Neither top necessarily looks bad, they just don’t match like they were supposed to. Our theory for why there was such a hug discrepancy is that the stain had settled and while we shook the can both times, the stain components likely were not dispersed the same at each use.

Moral to this story – individual projects may turn out great, but it can be very difficult to match later just because there are so many variables.

Reason # 2 – Chemicals

So I’ll be honest here. I had never actually read the fine print on a can of wood stain before researching for this post. I knew that stain had to contain chemicals, just based on the fumes involved. Bit now, after research, wow.

I’m going to include a few excerpts here from a Safety Data Sheet for an extremely popular wood stain. A stain that I would dare to say can be purchased at any big box store, any mom & pop hardware store and even places like Walmart.

Hazard Statements :
– Flammable liquid and vapor.
– Suspected of causing cancer.
– May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.
-May cause respiratory irritation.
-May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
– Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.

Safety Data Sheet for an extremely popular wood stain

I can personally attest to getting headaches after using interior wood stains, even in well ventilated areas. Not to mention, the fumes hang around long after you’ve completed the project. The release of VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds, from wood stain has been proven to continue for months. This long term exposure also causes the symptoms of dizziness, headaches, vision changes and respiratory issues months later.

If those health warnings weren’t enough, these products are also well known to spontaneously combust. Here is the direct warning from that same Safety Data Sheet : “DANGER: Rags, steel wool, other waste soaked with this product, and sanding residue may spontaneously catch fire if improperly discarded.” I have seen many a Facebook post on wood working pages where this has unfortunately happened. Proper disposal includes, at a minimum. allowing stain soaked objects have complete ventilation until dry. An even better method is to dispose of those used items in bucket of water.

I think that over time we have accepted that in order to get a desirable color and a durable finish we just have to deal with the fumes, the side effects and the negative environmental impacts. But, do we really need to settle for this in this day in time?

Reason # 3 – Wood stain doesn’t hold up to abuse

When stain is applied, it only penetrates the very top surface layer. You may get some penetration deeper with individual wood fibers, but as a whole, the stain really only affects the outermost sixteenth on a inch, maybe. This leaves the underlying material in its natural color. While your project may look perfect right after completion, over time, wear and tear will reveal that natural color underneath. This wear and tear can be nicks or gradual wear. Either way, the raw wood below will be exposed.

Granted, there are ways to fix these scratches and nicks. As pictured above, they do make wood stain pens that are supposed to allow you easily fix blemishes. You can also open a large can of wood stain and use a small paint brush to apply. However, both of these methods have their drawbacks. First, you risk inconsistencies between the original stain and the stain in the pen. Refer to reason #1. Secondly, the pens are not available in all the same stain colors as the standard quart sizes. If the original stain is not common, it may be hard, or impossible, to get a pen. Lastly, the times I have tried to used a pen, it bled past the surface I was trying to fix. Horribly. And noticeably. That becomes a bigger issue to have to solve.

Reason # 4 – Messy

Wood stain is exactly that – a stain. Just because it is sold as a wood stain doesn’t mean that its selective to wood only. In fact, it will stain your hands, your clothes, your floor, your dog. Everything. When we used stain heavily, I would double glove both hands, every time. When we had floors we wanted to protect, we had to put plastic down to prevent staining the floor. We wont count how many shirts and pants were ruined. And don’t ask me how I know that it will stain the dog…

To avoid inadvertently stain things other than your project, be sure to protect ANYTHING you don’t want stained, preferably with a plastic of some sort. Make sure you are wearing clothes that you do not care about, stain will not come out of clothes. As I mentioned, vinyl gloves will protect your hands from being stained also. I preferred to double up in case you get a hole in the outer one.

Reason # 5 – Extra prep work

Before you even crack open a can of stain, the wood you are staining has to be perfect. Any holes (from nail or screws) need to be filled and sanded smooth. All sanding must be perfect before applying stain. Once the stain is on, you cannot sand any more without removing stain. If you used glue in your wood joints, it all has to be removed from all visible surfaces. This is because the glue will not take stain and it will be incredibly noticeable.

It is also recommended to apply at least one coat of some sort of pre-stain. The pre-stain serves to condition the wood and create a more evenly stainable surface. Without using a pre-stain you risk the final stain being blotchy and uneven. This is a perfect opportunity to talk about all the “layers” and processes that take place when using a stain. The first step is pre-stain, followed by the actual stain application and finally a protective layer. The finishing process can get to be very lengthy using a staining method.

Reason # 6 – Interior wood stain can’t compete with natural wood

The final reason why you shouldn’t use wood stain (insert drum role) : a fake stain just cannot compete with the innate beauty of the wood you are trying to imitate. The intention of wood stain products is to try and replicate a wood species that has been deemed “ideal”. It may be a certain patina or a rare wood species. But, I have yet to see a wood stain application that beat the real deal.

Each wood species has not only a distinct coloring, but grain patterns and textures that are unique to that species. Staining a piece of wood from one species only changes the color. It doesn’t change the grain pattern that still looks like original wood.

I think that we have also become accustomed to seeing a lot of stained wood and forgotten what the real deal looks like. We received a comment in a review for a walnut ring holder from our online store awhile back. It stated “the wood grain and color were even better in person”. It isn’t uncommon for us to get comments like that. I really think that it’s because people have become accustomed to cheap stained woods so when they see the real thing they are especially amazed.

We recently did a post outlining some of the commonly used woods and what they look like. You can check that our here https://910woodshopblog.com/common-wood-species-for-furniture/.

The #1 Alternative to Interior Wood Stain

It may not be a surprise after the last reason, but the #1 alternative to using interior wood stain is : using the REAL thing! The actual wood species or the aged, patinaed wood. If you want a dark colored table, build it out of walnut instead of choosing a cheaper, light colored wood like pine and then staining it. The walnut will have it’s natural beauty. Walnut is a naturally harder wood and therefore will be more durable in the long run.

While there is some natural inconsistency within difference pieces of the same species, you have a better idea of what the final outcome will be before you start. Using a wood species that is the natural color you want for your finished product allows you can skip the pre-stain and staining steps. You also miss out on the toxic fumes from those chemical filled products – bummer. While an option like pine may be less expensive up front, you will spend extra money on materials to stain and more time in the preparation and finishing phases. Even if you are only woodworking as a hobby, your time is still valuable and worth something.

All in all, you won’t regret using the real wood species over a cheaper, lesser quality material. We promise.

And that sums it up – all the reasons why 9:10 Wood Shop has chosen to greatly reduce our use of interior wood stain. To see some examples of projects we have completed without the use of stain, check out our gallery https://910woodshopblog.com/910-gallery/. You can also see our line of natural wood products at our Etsy store here https://www.etsy.com/shop/NineTenWoodShop.

Is there anything that we missed? Let us know if the comments! Thank you for reading through! We’ll see you next time!

-9:10 Wood Shop