How to stain treated pine?

Question

I am staining a fishtank stand at home, and i have a 'chestnut' tinted stain. I am up to my second coat, and the timber just looks like it is wet?? I am just applying with a brush. I didnt do any prep work, i just started painting on the stain, does anyone have any ideas why it isnt working? Should i have prepped somehow??

Answer 1

How old is the treated lumber?  Some treated lumber, when new, is wet--well, rather, it is still very moist.  When new, some treated won't accept stain very well.  And, if it is that moist, it will not sand well, either.

Your best bet is to get that lumber into a dry environment, let it dry out, and then stain it.  (Treated lumber does not require sanding to accept an exterior stain, by the way.)

Answer 2

Stain it with a rag dip the rag in the stain and seerub on the wood

Answer 3

you shoud have sanded it first. sand it now back to raw timber. use a cloth, something like terri-towling and rub the sain on. you can do as many coats as you like to make it as dark as you desire. if its going to be getting wet you should put a clear polyurethane over the top, which will make it shinier. if its not going to be getting wet then just leave it as is!

Answer 4

If you didn't sand it down to the raw wood it probably is never going to be the color you want. Sand it down to the raw wood with the final sanding being done with at least 220 grade sand paper. When you stain it pour the stain onto a lint free cloth and wipe it on the wood being sure to overlap your last application. Then I would recommend a polyurethane finish because of what it is (a fish tank stand).