Wiping stain for wood finishing

Wiping stain is one type of stain for wood furniture finishing processes. Although spray gun for  stain application can do staining with excellent results, but the wiping application for stain is still done by some peoples since it has some advantages that cannot be obtained with the spray application. The wiping stain here is a kind of wood stain which needs wiping in his application. Wiping stain can be applied in several ways such dipping, brushing, pouring, brushing or wet spray but always followed by wiping at the end. Glaze is also a kind of wiping stain, but in this article we only discuss the wiping stain that is applied directly to the wood.

Stain for wiping applications of course should be specially made. The wiping stain is made by using a longer dry thinner so it can wet the surface and can be wiped to make even coloring in the wiping process. If the stain dries too fast, it will dry before it applied evenly to the entire surface, and an uneven color is obtained. Now the special stain for wiping application is widely available though we can make it by add a slow dry thinner to the regular wood stain. 

The advantages of wiping stain

• Generate a very attractive appearance.

This application is more wetting to the substrate and make the stain penetrates to the wood and coloring into the wood pores and grains. The result is a more natural appearance in the finishing result, enhances the character and beauty of the wood pores maximally. The color result will looked more natural as if it is the natural color of he wood.

•  The high efficiency of finishing materials.

This wiping application will not produce the dust spray such in the spray application. By this application almost all the stain is wetting the substrate he applied on. Therefore, the efficiency of this material will be very high.

• The process is simple.

The wiping method is a simple process that is quite easy to do and can be learned quickly. People who are new in the finishing process will be able to learn to do the wiping method easier  and faster than to learn how to spray. This process also does not require spray gun and special finishing facilities such as spray booth and other facilities to do spray. The tools that are needed are simple and relatively inexpensive such as brush, cloth and tank to place the stain. This process can also be done without using a special finishing room. then spray application that always need a special room which equipped with spray booth, compressor, piping, and spraying equipment which are quite expensive.
 

The disadvantages of the wiping stain:

•  Requires a relatively long processing time

Wiping is a long time process. For small products, the application may be made by dipping the item into the stain that a quite quick process. But for large products the staining process can only be done by brushing the stain which requires a long time. The wiping process for big product could be 3 times longer then the spray process.  

• Less control for the results.

The coloring result is very dependent on the absorption of stain by the wood surface. The final color will also be strongly influenced by the basic color of the wood underneath. To get the even color the wood substrate should have a relative similar porosity and color base. It requires an excellent preparation of the raw materials. The wood must be selected to have relatively uniform color and porosity when making the furniture. To select the wood with the similar color base is quite easy but select wood to have the same porosity is very difficult to do. One method to make the wood surface has same porosity is to do glue sizing on wood surface.

The color obtained depends on the absorption of the wood. The more times application of the stain could not make the darker color. Since that the control in the staining results can only done by adjusting the concentration of the stain used. 

• This application will dissolve the existing putty or filler in the substrate.

This process will wet the surface, and at the wet stain will dissolve other finishing materials that have the same base. If there is some putty or filler in the wood it will be dissolved again by this application. This would reduce the filling properties of putty and filler on the wood.   

•  The risk of blotchy

The absorption of the stain is very dependent on the porosity of the wood surface. For the soft wood which has high porosity, the absorption of stain can be too much. The too much stain absorption will result in too dark or even black color.  While for a surface which has uneven porosity the color obtained is also uneven (blotchy color). The risk of blotchy staining is the biggest problem for the wiping stain especially for the soft wood. That is make the wiping process to apply stain is not a good choice for the soft wood.