Staining and finishing wood can make such a fun project. There's just something about creating something yourself - all the hard work, the personalization, the sigh of relief when it's all over. You know what we're talking about. And we love the entire process. So get your gloves and follow along to learn how to stain like a pro, because no one has time for mistakes.

There are three main parts in the finishing process

• Assembly and Preparation
• Applying Color
• Top coating 

Mistakes happen commonly during all three of these phases and the best advice we can offer you is this: practice, practice, practice! Also have a piece of scrap wood to practice on. The worst thing that can happen is when you go in blind and the stain is the complete wrong color, or it wasn't mixed properly, or it's much thinner/thicker than you anticipated. Please avoid the utter disappointment that results from not practicing. Pick up a piece of scrap wood and test out everything you use. 

Let's get into it, shall we?

Here are 10 common mistakes made when finishing and how to avoid them.

1. Scratches from sanding and cutting

 Using the wrong grit sandpaper or the wrong sanding method is a great way to start off your project on the wrong foot. Avoid this common mistake by double checking the type of wood you have and making sure you have the correct sandpaper to use with it. If you go to apply the stain and you can already see scratches, stop what you're doing. Start with a new piece of sand paper and start sanding again, frequently changing the paper. Then reapply the stain carefully to match the surrounding area. 

2. Sand-Through

Sand-through happens when you just get way into sanding your piece. You've gone though some veneer, most likely on an expensive piece of plywood. There's no reason to panic. This is what your scrap wood is for. Take the extra piece and create the same effect, sanding past the veneer. You can choose to use stain or Blendal Powder to fix the blemish, bringing back the original color. After it's dry, continue with your normal staining process. 

3. Glue Residue

Using too much glue can cause it to drip everywhere, ooze out of joints, and leave smudgy fingerprints on your wood. Oils and stains won't cover up this residue, which would leave an ugly blemish on your piece. If you have small smudgy fingerprints, just use sandpaper to lightly sand these away. If you have bigger globs or drips that can't be easily sanded, use a chisel or putty knife to carefully scrape the excess glue off. Then sand the area to make sure the surface is smooth. 

4. Uneven Dye Stain

Often times, dye based stains end up more concentrated in certain areas. If this happend to you take a damp rag and gently wipe away at the area. The Rag will pick up some of the dye, hopefully evening out the color. Then reapply the stain. 

5. Choosing the Wrong Stain Color

This is why we say practice, practice, practice! Always test out your stain before using it on a bigger project. You just need to test a small section on either a scrap piece of the same wood or in a spot that won't be visible on your main piece. In the sad scenario where you didn't test your stain and the color ends up all wrong, you have a few options. You can put in some elbow grease and attempt to sand off the stain you applied. Or you can apply a glaze in a contrasting color, which will tone down the color of the stain. 

6. Blotchy Stain

Some stains don't take evenly on certain woods like pine and cherry. If the situation is severe and there are many, big blotches you'll have to sand or strip and start from the beginning. If the botches are minor you can once again use a glaze to try and offset the colors. 

7. Drips

When the stain starts to drip down the side of your piece, don't be tempted to stop it with your finger. This could end up smudging the area. Instead, wait until it's completely dry and lightly sand the area until it is smooth. Don't sand comepletely through the stain - just enough to even out the drip. if you're tired of sanding, you could use a razor blade to gently scrape off the built up stain. 

8. Contaminated Finish

When you go to put on your stain or coating and it acts in a weird way, it may be contaminated. The most common signs are when the stain doesn't apply easily or if it moves in a weird formation once applied, congregating in the same spot. This often happens when mixing water and oil bases. To fix this, wipe off the stain that you already applied. Then spray a thin coat of shellac on your project to provide a protective layer. Shellac will also prevent contaminants on previous layers from rising to the surface. Once dry, apply your non-contaminated finish. 

9. Burn-Through

Burn-through is similar to sand-through, expect it means you went through both the stain AND the top coat. If this happens, carefully apply more of the stain to the area trying to blend it in. Then add your topcoat once again. When the area is dry, rub it out to blend it in. 

10. Witness Lines

Can you see a definite difference where two products were not applied evenly? If you notice this, keep leveling the finish and then apply at least two more coats. 

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