Homemade Stain

I am not opposed to using modern building materials or methods where they make sense. As I highlight many build choices in future posts, you will see many modern techniques. When it comes to my building material of choice, I have a serious addiction for salvaged wood. Luckily, Kate (somewhat) tolerates my stacks of reclaimed pallets, barn and any other weathered wood I can find.

I have made many homemade stains over the years. While making them is a simple task, using them is somewhat of a serendipitous act.

The most basic (and my favorite) stain is one liter of vinegar mixed with one fine grade steel wool pad for twelve hours. (I have used SOS pads in a pinch, but they have chemicals in them that I don't like. Plus, they take much longer to make stain from. Stick with strait, fin grade steel wool if you can.) After twelve hours, take the wool pad out. A person can use it right away and store the mixture almost indefinitely. The look one gets from this recipe is instant aged wood.

Above, you can see a freshly sanded timber on top of two boards treated ten minutes prior with my vinegar and steel wool mix. Note the depth of color that one cannot achieve in a store bought stain. This is created from the oxidization and chemical reaction taking place within the wood itself. This isn't a pigment dye. This is chemistry. This is instantly aged wood.

A closer look at the beautiful color and texture. Another big bonus, there are zero toxic fumes or nasty chemicals. This formula is completely organic and natural. NOTE: One can read all types of blog posts and watch countless youtube videos that oversimplify the results of this technique. At its core, it is super simple to make and apply, but there are many variables involved. It is ALWAYS a good idea to test your stain before treating a large quantity of wood.

From experience, I have seen two boards from the same species of tree that come from the same mill create two very different results from the exact same stain. My hypothesis is the tannin level in the wood can create wildly different results - especially with softer woods like pine. Hard woods require much more contact time or a stronger stain to oxidize but they are much more consistent than soft wood. A few general rules: 1. The longer you keep steel wool in the vinegar the browner/rustier the stain will become. This is due to more oxidization happening between the wool and vinegar. Also, rust will start forming if wool is left long enough.

2. If you want to add even deeper red tones (sometimes darker grey depending on your wood), add hydrogen peroxide to the mix. Start with a quarter cup and keep adding until you achieve your preferred look.

3. Try adding tea or coffee to your stain to add more greying or brown tones. Red wine, beat juice, blackberries or any other natural, organic material that stains will work. Use this stain immediately or within a few days. These ingredients can form mold when left in the liquid for a period of time. (This is from first hand experience!)

4. Use copper in place of steel wool to create a funky blue/green stain.

Stain it!