Cos Cob Wood Staining – Enhancing the Beauty of Wood through Stains
There are different kinds of trees used to make wood for furniture, floors and decors. From pine, walnut, ash, cedar, cherry to oak trees, the choices are vast. And because each tree is unique, the wood that comes from them is distinctive in its appearance. It can have dark, light or reddish hues. Despite its natural beauty though, some Cos Cob homeowners choose to change it to match the color of their floors to their furniture in order to achieve a more cohesive design in their Cos Cob homes. This is why a lot of people have turned to wood staining to get their preferred look.
To change the tint or shade of wood and to highlight its wood grains, a wood stain must be used. It is made of dyes and pigments mixed with water, petroleum distillate or alcohol, which acts as a suspension agent. It can also include varnish, shellac, lacquer or polyurethane, which serves as the finishing agent to make the wood look shiny as well as to protect the stain from being removed easily. Another kind of wood stain is made of gel. Its consistency is similar to paint and compared to liquid wood stains, it doesn’t penetrate the wood grains easily.
Wood staining sounds simple enough to do, but it is actually a time-consuming task that requires some patience and a bit of effort. However, if it is done right, it would look amazing. The goal is to change the current color of the wood. Before doing so, one must first know the type of wood that will be stained. If it is a hardwood like oak, ash, walnut, cherry, apple, birch, elm or beech, any kind of stain can be used, but it will take a number of coatings to properly stain it. On the other hand, softwoods such as cedar, pine, yew and fir may require a pre-stain wood conditioner before staining it because these types of wood usually cause uneven stains. Some people may like the uneven look, but for some who prefer it to be perfectly even, then applying a pre-stain wood conditioner is a must.
After determining whether the wood to be stained is a hardwood or a softwood, it’s off to choosing what stain will be used. Once the kind of wood stain to be used is decided upon, next up is the prep work. The wood that will be stained must be clean of dirt and grease and must be sanded down to smooth out rough edges. After that, the actual Cos Cob wood staining can begin. The wood stain is applied with a brush in one continuous motion across the wood. It must be left to dry for hours. As soon as it has dried, a coat of polyurethane may be applied to protect the stain. Then, leave it to dry and admire the wood’s new appearance. Finally, your Cos Cob floors and cabinets match!
