Replies

1. 
   JimGG_ | May 15, 2001 10:20pm | #1

   *
   Start with nomenclature. Stains color wood. Coatings, like varnish, tung oil, and others go on after the wood is stained. You can get a hybrid: a coating mixed with stain/pigment. It's not an either-or between stain and tung oil. There are many more variables. Pine absorbes stain unevenly, giving a blotchy look. Using a thinned coat of a sealer evens the contrast. Or orange shellac might give you the color you want. Minwax Golden Oak might be what you want. Tung oil, and any coating, can be pigmented. You have to experiment on scrap until you get what you like.

1. 
   JimGG_ | May 15, 2001 10:49pm | #2

   *You got dye stains and pigment stains. The dye stains have more clarity and uniformity. The pigment stains have particles of pigment which gets lodged in the crevases of the wood. Since pine usually gives you blotchy results, I'd avoid the pigment stain and use a dye stain. Some dye stains are water based, some are alcohol based. Water based require sanding, but that is nothing to worry about.

1. 
   Ian.D.Gilham. | May 17, 2001 03:26am | #3

   *I'd mix an alcohol based dye stain with the tung oil. It's a process I've used many times when staining hardwood floors as it is very difficult, using dye stains alone, to avoid a patchy finish because of their quick-drying nature.The addition of tung oil slows down the drying time and makes them far more manageable for large areas.I agree with the comment about the pigment stains --- they tend to cover up the figure in the timber, much like paint.