Depending on your project, you will not need to remove old stain before restaining. If you want to darken the stain on your wood project, then removing the existing stain is not necessary!
Using Gel Stain, you can stain wood furniture without sanding or stripping the old finish. It's so easy!
Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if you're applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on the wood. Remember, it's the same principle as dying your hair! This rule applies to oil-based stains, water-based stains, and gel stains.
Staining over varnish without sanding is possible but the surface has to be smooth and free from blemishes otherwise the result will fall short of a professional-looking finish. Sanding is a process that is very crucial to finishing.
Sand Thoroughly
When preparing wood for stain, you'll need to sand its surface. Use a sanding sponge or orbital sander. Sandpaper with a lower grit number will make wood rougher, allowing more stain to absorb and creating a darker color. Start with 120-grit sandpaper for pieces that already have a finish.
Paint over the varnished wood for a whole new look
So, should your interior design change over time and you'd like to change the colour of a piece of furniture, you are able to. Often, you can simply sand the varnished surface down, this helps the paint stick to the surface, and then apply your colour of choice.
PolyShades® will work over stained wood (meaning it does not have a clear protective finish) or wood top-coated with a polyurethane-based finish. Proper surface preparation is necessary to ensure adhesion, so make sure you follow preparation tips provided in this Guide.
If a second coat is applied, it builds the thickness and two things happen. First, the sealer or top coat cannot penetrate through the stain to grab the wood fiber. This causes the second issue, the bond now relies on the strength of the stain to bond the surface coats to the wood.
Even if your wood has been stained or has an existing finish, you can still apply gel stain to refresh it and give it a brand new look.
Sanding. Make sure you sand the wood well before applying stain. Any scratches will be enhanced by stain. Sanding will also help open up the pores of the wood so that they can absorb stain better.
If your deck is in good condition and you're looking to apply a maintenance coat to keep your deck looking new, then yes… you can stain over a stained deck. It's the same if the surface of your boards are starting to look really worn and faded. Applying more stain won't hide the damage.
Wood stain won't adhere well to damp wood and can crack and peel. Apply stain to dry wood when it hasn't rained for several days and the forecast calls for at least two days of dry weather between 50° F and 90° F.
With a staining brush, work both with the grain and against it. Don't worry about being neat; all that matters is getting a nice, even, liberal coat over the wood. Wipe the stain off immediately if you'd like a lighter tone. But for a deeper tone, leave the stain on the wood for 5 to 10 minutes before wiping it off.
Apply a second coat of stain after the first has dried fully. This will usually produce a slightly darker coloring with the excess wiped off. Substitute a glaze or gel stain for the liquid stain. Glazes and gel stains usually contain a higher ratio of pigment to vehicle.
We always recommend two coats of stain for any wood project, but you should only apply as much stain as the wood can absorb. Extremely dense hardwoods may only be able to absorb one coat of wood stain. The general rule of thumb is to apply only as much deck stain as the wood can absorb.
Yes, each layer will darken your project even more. You can also start with a lighter color Gel Stain and layer on darker colors.
But good news – using the wrong wood stain color can be fixed! The easiest thing to do when you don't like your wood stain color is to grab a darker stain, and apply it on top of the initial stain job. If you don't want a darker shade, sanding down the piece and re-staining is also an option.
Vinegar isn't limited to just removing paint from wood either, if you wanted to you could use it to remove wood treatments like varnish too as the same acid that allows you to remove paint from wood penetrates and removes the chemical that allows the varnish to adhere to the wood.
PolyShades stain and polyurethane also allows you to easily change the color of your currently stained or varnished wood without stripping. Over old varnish you can change the color without removing the old finish or hiding the grain.