When staining unfinished furniture, what type of a lint free cloth should be used?

Question

Would a kitchen sponge work to remove excess stain without lint?

Answer 1

T towels or J clothes would work, and no a sponge wouldn't   remove lint ,you would have to wait till it dryed and rub it gently with very fine sand paper.

Answer 2

you just need a rag to wipe the stain off, just be careful that you open the rag and spread it out over a trash can so it has ventilation and can dry out otherwise it can catch fire.

You only worry about lint when your putting on the finish coat, Then when your ready to finish use the tack cloth,

Answer 3

first guy is right, use a tack cloth

Answer 4

Old T shirts work well.

Don't be too fanatic about 'lint free'.

You're going to use fine steel wool and wipe/dust

before the final finish anyway.

Answer 5

Old t-shirts make the best rags for applying stain.

You will need to ensure that the piece has been finish sanded and dusted thoroughly before applying the stain.

I wouldn't recommend a sponge to get up excess stain.  Again, old cotton rags work best.  Try to avoid synthetic blends, they do not absorb as well as pure cotton.

After the stain has dried thoroughly, you will need to lightly sand and dust thoroughly before applying a finish like polyurethane.

Answer 6

Use newspaper.

Answer 7

no use a tack cloth, its a rosin cloth you can get it in the paint section at lowes

Answer 8

tack cloths are used for removing dust, etc off of sanded items - NOT for applying stain.  Just use an old t-shirt.  Like the other guy said, cotton is better and be sure to let it dry before discarding.  DO NOT sand the item after staining.  You may remove some of the stained wood.  You lightly sand in between coats of polyurethane or varnish so one coat will adhere to the other that is already in place.  If you are using water based stain or dye, you will need to lightly (I stress lightly) wet the item with a spray bottle after the final finish sanding and BEFORE applying the stain or dye.  Suggest you use distilled water.  Let the item fully dry, then lightly sand it to remove the raised grain.  Use 340 (or so) grit sand paper.  Apply your stain or dye, let it dry fully then apply a topcoat if desired (suggested).