Thread: Stain and Varnish in one?

A lot of people want to use a varnish stain bcause of "ease of use". The reality is that iit s easier to stain first and then varnish, it will also look 100% better.

Varnish stains are hard to apply evenly and hide the grain. A separate stain, used properly, will "pop" the grain.

Varnish stains are especially hard to apply evenly on absorbent timbers like radiata pine, which is generally better sealed first with a diluted mix of shellac.

If you're into fine woodworking or restoring antiques, then it's really not a good idea.

However, if you're not a master craftsman and are interested more in the building than the finishing, then why not?

As to which products - I've no idea, I don't use 'em. I'm no expert but I do find I can get a better finish with seperate stain/finish and as the finish is the first thing most non-woodies see and as they'll pay more for a nicely finished piece with some bad joinery than they will for a perfect piece with a so-so finish...

Yes I agree with BS and Skew on this one. I have tried stain/varnish mix and it has never worked out for me. Its ok on a practical level but for serious woodwork, no.

I used Feast Watson on a bookcase and eventually had to strip it off and start again by staining then finishing with clear.
It was reasonable on horizontal surfaces where it was able to flatten out but on the verticals it was streaky and looked crap.

Originally Posted by wixy

I am tempted by the idea of getting a stain and varnish in one, for ease of use.

Do these type of products work well?

Which brands are recommended? e.g. cabots, wattyl, feast watson.

You have gotten some good advice here assuming, always a dangerous thing, that you are talking about stain and poly varnish mix. Not a good idea.

But . . . pigmented oil/varnish oils (such as a pigmented Danish oil) are both easy to use and go on well. You will not, however, get a hard, protective finish and will still likely want to topcoat with regualr varnish or a poly varnish.

I am still a bit of a novice at finishing but this is what I have discovered by trial and error. I have used it in the past before I had the courage to tackle finishing. On a pine book case I found I had to use more coats than planed to hide the differences in shade. This resulted in a darker finish. It can be done with good brush work and get a reasonable result but you have to practice a bit first. When I got around to wipe on stain and clear finish I found that easier. Danish oil is so easy I said where have you been all my life. I would suggest you read up a bit first on various methods. The local library is a good place to start and the net is full of info.

Regards
John