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Today I’m sharing a few tips for staining pallet wood around the home. Stain, who doesn’t love the look of a newly stained piece of wood? Even if you’re a fan of painted furniture you have to admit stained furniture is beautiful. Before you stain a pallet project keep a few things in mind.
First, start with a product you trust. I use both brands Varathane and Minwax on my products.
Varathane has a wide variety of colors to choose from. They offer traditional and nontraditional colors.
I’m crushing on the Bleached Blue and Vintage Aqua. They’re spectacular!
Both brands are available in different sizes. Pick the proper size for the projects.
If I’m working on a really small project the small cans will do, but sometimes it’s better to buy the next size up just in case I want to add additional layers. It saves time and return trips to the store.
When working with pallet wood you must keep in mind the different species of wood used in pallets. Even when working with one pallet, you can have several species of wood.
If a pallet is broken or missing a board, it’s in need of repair. Often pallets are picked up by companies or individuals that repair damaged pallets and then place them back into circulation. When they repair the pallets they use whatever pallet wood is available. If you notice a pallet with a board that doesn’t seem to fit in more than likely it’s been replaced.
Look at the boards I used to build my kitchen hood. See a difference in color? The store bought wood is lighter in color compared to the pallet wood. The pallet wood absorbs the stain more than the store bought wood. Plus, notice a difference between the pallet boards. Starting from the top, boards one, two, three and five appear to be the same color but board number four is lighter. Different species of wood absorb differently and turn different shades.
When building a project keep this in mind. A big change in the shade can make a difference between a sale and something that sits on a shelf for a long time.
The same goes with polyurethane. The kitchen hood was stained and sealed using polyacrylic. Notice the difference in shine. The pallet wood doesn’t shine like the store bought wood.
The last thing I want to draw attention to is imperfections or stains. If your board has unknown areas of discolorations you might want to steer clear of them. They could be harmful substances. Products won’t stain properly over some substances and they could be harmful to you or your loved ones.
If you haven’t read the post on safety when working with pallets, you can find it at How to Tell if a Pallet is Safe for DIY Projects.
Tips for Staining Pallet Wood Around the Home
- Pick a brand of stain you trust.
- Decide on the best color and amount of stain for the project.
- Select pallet wood of the same species.
- Watch for imperfections or stains.
Do you have any tips for staining pallets? Please share your tips in the comment area.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s pallet topic.
Stop back tomorrow for another week of Scraptastic Saturdays.
Thanks for stopping by!
