Staining rough sawn pine

[NorthFork]

I made the mistake of showing the wife this thread-

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/my-new-gun-rack.124422/
She thought the gun rack looked "awesome" and that I should build one like that and hang it in the living room. We live in a low crime area, don't have children, don't have folks come over to the house, and we have two very ill tempered dogs. I'm not particularly worried about theft so hanging four longrifles for display in the living room is fine by me.

She wants it to look "rustic" so I am going to use some rough sawn pine to build a similar gun rack to the one in the thread I posted above. Here in lies the rub, pine like many softwoods when stained can turn blotchy looking. On planed, scraped, and sanded pine I have used Minwax prestain conditioner then an oil based stain with reasonable results. The surface of the rough sawn pine is exactly that, very rough. The stain will need to be brushed on due to the surface. I have concerns about applying that much stain and the possibility of an extremely uneven and blotchy end results.

She has some kitchen furniture that she had made twenty some years ago that is pine and was done in a primitive/rustic manner that she loves. She claims it was stained with a walnut color stain and then polyurathaned but it matches perfectly with Minwax Red Chestnut. So what ever I end up using will need to be something close to that.

So any advice on how to successfully stain this rough pine? And I won't be sharing anymore 'neat' things I find here on the forum with her in the future!

 

[Ames]

If it were me, I'd search around the rural areas near you and scrounge up a little real old barn wood. No staining involved unless you touch up the edges where you cut it. The wood in mine was 1840. Could be cut to make any rack you need.

If you stick with the rough pine idea I'd think about a spray gun with diluted stain.

 

[NorthFork]

Good idea but that ain't happening. At least not around here. Barn wood/reclaimed wood/rough sawn anything is a hot and EXPENSIVE commodity. I happen to have some rough sawn pine laying around in the garage. It was free and has been there in the rafters for years. I live in a very rural area. There are very few wood barns left (all corn/beans). People pay cash to tear down other folks barns/out buildings so they can resell the wood.

 

[Ames]

Bummer.

 

[Grenadier1758]

You should have some scrap wood after assembling the rack. Try the stain on the rack to see if the color matches or does the ugly blotches. Use a stain that you can thin to control the color in your wood. Then use multiple coats of stain.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I made the mistake of showing the wife this thread-

So any advice on how to successfully stain this rough pine? And I won't be sharing anymore 'neat' things I find here on the forum with her in the future!

I know you said Pine, but what about rough sawn Cedar. It takes stain well. Just a thought.
Flintlocklar

 

[Coot]

I made the mistake of showing the wife this thread-

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/my-new-gun-rack.124422/
She thought the gun rack looked "awesome" and that I should build one like that and hang it in the living room. We live in a low crime area, don't have children, don't have folks come over to the house, and we have two very ill tempered dogs. I'm not particularly worried about theft so hanging four longrifles for display in the living room is fine by me.

She wants it to look "rustic" so I am going to use some rough sawn pine to build a similar gun rack to the one in the thread I posted above. Here in lies the rub, pine like many softwoods when stained can turn blotchy looking. On planed, scraped, and sanded pine I have used Minwax prestain conditioner then an oil based stain with reasonable results. The surface of the rough sawn pine is exactly that, very rough. The stain will need to be brushed on due to the surface. I have concerns about applying that much stain and the possibility of an extremely uneven and blotchy end results.

She has some kitchen furniture that she had made twenty some years ago that is pine and was done in a primitive/rustic manner that she loves. She claims it was stained with a walnut color stain and then polyurathaned but it matches perfectly with Minwax Red Chestnut. So what ever I end up using will need to be something close to that.

So any advice on how to successfully stain this rough pine? And I won't be sharing anymore 'neat' things I find here on the forum with her in the future!

As Grenadier mentioned, test your stain options on scraps of the wood you want to stain. Spraying the stain on will allow for less stain than brushing. Go light with the stain as rough wood will not be easy to wipe off any excess & you can always spray more if the first coat is not dark enough.

 

[rafterob]

I had good luck staining my rough sawn pine beams using a roller. Seemed to take the stain evenly. But, like said, if you have some scraps left over, try them out first.

 

[1950DAVE]

Experiment with desired stain color on scrap. Make sure stain is fully mixed (all pigments are stirred in). Don't depend on shakers at the paint store. Sand rough sawn wood with 100 grit paper to smooth some of the splinters. Remove dusty oth vac or brush thoroughly. Start with full strength, if too dark try 50/50 mineral spirits/stain. That should tell you how to go. I did hardwood floors professionally for more than 30 yrs. I have a little experience with stains and finishes.
Dave

 

[old ugly]

i have made stuff out of ruff pine, then sanded and finished. i used and oil base stain from the builedr supply. you need to do color tests.
one thing i had happen was pitch oozing out. the wood had sat a long long time but the pitch still migrated to the surface.

 

[ZUG]

Since you are using rough pine you are going for the "old" look so it should not matter what the evenness of the stain looks like just brush it on and put a sealer on it and let it be

 

[Mulebrain]

I made the mistake of showing the wife this thread-

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/my-new-gun-rack.124422/
She thought the gun rack looked "awesome" and that I should build one like that and hang it in the living room. We live in a low crime area, don't have children, don't have folks come over to the house, and we have two very ill tempered dogs. I'm not particularly worried about theft so hanging four longrifles for display in the living room is fine by me.

She wants it to look "rustic" so I am going to use some rough sawn pine to build a similar gun rack to the one in the thread I posted above. Here in lies the rub, pine like many softwoods when stained can turn blotchy looking. On planed, scraped, and sanded pine I have used Minwax prestain conditioner then an oil based stain with reasonable results. The surface of the rough sawn pine is exactly that, very rough. The stain will need to be brushed on due to the surface. I have concerns about applying that much stain and the possibility of an extremely uneven and blotchy end results.

She has some kitchen furniture that she had made twenty some years ago that is pine and was done in a primitive/rustic manner that she loves. She claims it was stained with a walnut color stain and then polyurathaned but it matches perfectly with Minwax Red Chestnut. So what ever I end up using will need to be something close to that.

So any advice on how to successfully stain this rough pine? And I won't be sharing anymore 'neat' things I find here on the forum with her in the future!

Here is an old barn door desk I made up. I just lightly sanded it and only used poly on it.

 

[mooman76]

They sell Faux rough sawn wood with an aged look at places like Menards and Homedepot. A paint brush would work but might go on heavy so maybe dilute it some.

 

[toot]

even old pine has figure.

 

[rp77469]

I have used a thinned coat of shellac, a one pound cut, to help cut down blotching before staining pine. It helps seal some of the end grain so the stain does not absorb so much in those areas. Probably would help seal some of those 'hairs' too. Might be worth doing a test piece or two with it. Take a look at this site for period nails. Slotted screws would be historically correct as all the other type drives are 1900 or later. Tremont Nail Company - Nail FAQs - Shop Online

 

[user 48679]

IME, the only time pine gets splotchy when stained is when it's sanded.

Rough sawn pine will just need more stain than sanded wood.

I would suggest trying the staining on a sample of the wood you're planning to use to build the gun rack.

 

[kje54]

I made the mistake of showing the wife this thread-

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/my-new-gun-rack.124422/
She thought the gun rack looked "awesome" and that I should build one like that and hang it in the living room. We live in a low crime area, don't have children, don't have folks come over to the house, and we have two very ill tempered dogs. I'm not particularly worried about theft so hanging four longrifles for display in the living room is fine by me.

She wants it to look "rustic" so I am going to use some rough sawn pine to build a similar gun rack to the one in the thread I posted above. Here in lies the rub, pine like many softwoods when stained can turn blotchy looking. On planed, scraped, and sanded pine I have used Minwax prestain conditioner then an oil based stain with reasonable results. The surface of the rough sawn pine is exactly that, very rough. The stain will need to be brushed on due to the surface. I have concerns about applying that much stain and the possibility of an extremely uneven and blotchy end results.

She has some kitchen furniture that she had made twenty some years ago that is pine and was done in a primitive/rustic manner that she loves. She claims it was stained with a walnut color stain and then polyurathaned but it matches perfectly with Minwax Red Chestnut. So what ever I end up using will need to be something close to that.

So any advice on how to successfully stain this rough pine? And I won't be sharing anymore 'neat' things I find here on the forum with her in the future!

Just to let you know, when I did my rack I used no stain nor any sealant. Now if you want a more "natural" stain and sealant you could always do it with used motor oil. Of course it would have to be left outside for a while to air out the odor.
This guy built a shed out of recycled pallets and applied used motor oil to stain and seal the wood.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

For smoother staining results on soft woods (like pine), you need to use a pre-stain - you can buy a can at any big box or hardware store, or make your own (YouTube). I just did some pine barn doors for my wife, and using the pre-stain really improved the appearance.

 

[Lbrown]

I made a rustic mantle from an old cypress beam and finished it with walnut Briwax. Simply rub in with a cloth until the wood won't accept any more. Turned out great. You may want to give it a try. I have since used it on unfinished antique furniture with similar good results. Good luck.

 

[eggwelder]

Try vinagroon. Should gray it right up if that is what you are looking for- test a small scrap first