Paint or woodstain?
Wood finishes can be divided into four main groups:
Preservative
Colours and preserves new or weathered sawn timber.Cannot be applied over any film build coatings i.e. all the categories listed below.
Paints
High build coatings which obliterate the underlying surface, i.e. they are opaque.
Varnishes
High build coatings through which the underlying surface can be seen, i.e. they are transparent.
Woodstains
Can be low to high build coatings which are either semi-transparent, i.e. they are coloured but allow the underlying surface to be seen or they can be opaque, obliterating the surface.
Low build
Stains which offer minimal surface protection. They can be
overcoated with other low build stains, medium build semi-transparent
stains or opaque high build stains depending on the substrate
and it's condition..
Note: Overcoating a semi transparent stain with an opaque
woodstain will not allow the surface to be seen through the
coating.
Medium build
Stains offer adequate surface protection. These stains cannot
be overcoated with low build stains but may be overcoated with
other medium build stains or high build opaque stains.
Note : Overcoating a semi transparent stain with an opaque
woodstain will not allow the surface to be seen through the
coating.
Woodstains - important points to note
- The final colour is very dependant on build (film thickness), number of coats and the underlying surface colour and texture.
- Repeated decoration with the same colour of woodstain will eventually darken the colour.
- When redecorating dark colours, it is often advisable to chose a light colour for protection of the surface without changing the colour too much.
- Knots in timber must be treated with knotting when applying paint or opaque woodstain.
- White (bleached) knotting must be used with water based coatings.