How To Stain Pine Wood The Easy Way (Bench Makeover) (2025)

How To Stain Pine Wood (Bench Makeover)

Before starting any furniture makeover, I always inspect the piece from top to bottom and underneath. And wouldn’t you know, I got a SURPRISE!

A funny story about gum: I giggled when I flipped this wood bench upside down to clean it. There it was! A childhood memory of sticking gum where it should never be stuck.

But MY gum (when I was a kid) was smashed under the wooden church pew.My Grandma would be so mad at me if she knew. I learned it from my Grandpa. 🙂

My Grandpa would always stick his ABC (already been chewed) gum to his headboard before bed. I swear to you, the man would chew that same piece until it was gone. After he passed away, my brother stuck a new piece of gum still in the wrapper in his pocket at the funeral home. I’ll never forget that! He said it was just in case Grandpa needed to chew on his way to heaven. I miss him. Someday soon.

I’ve also stained old wood and furniture for various DIY projects. The links are below.

• Park Bench Makeover-Upcycling Wrought Iron Outdoor Furniture
• How To Make Simple DIY Decorative Shelves With Wooden Crates
• Heirloom Table Makeover
• Paint And Stain Combo Wet Bar

I also found this tutorial withhelpful tips and tricks for staining pine wood,which you should check out, too.

SUPPLY LIST:

• Pinewood bench or pine wood
• lint-free cloth, clean cloth (cotton), or sponge applicator
• electric sander (my preferred sander)
• VooDoo Gel Stain Charred Hickory (water-based) Dixie Belle
• spray mister bottle (for water)
• Gator Hide Dixie Belle’s clear water-based top coat
• 2-inch mini synthetic paint brush or foam applicator

Cleaning and Sanding The Wood

After scraping all the gum off, I used Krud Kutter and water to remove the built-up dirt and grime that had accumulated over the years, not to mention the dirt it had accumulated sitting on my front porch all summer.

After scrubbing it thoroughly, I used the water hose outdoors to rinse away the cleaner. I sat it in the sun to dry, and it was ready to go the next day.

To prepare the wood for staining, I first used 100-grit sandpaper to remove the rough spots and splintered brittle areas. This may seem aggressive, but deep gouges and splintered wood must be addressed. I’ll be sitting my tushy on this bench. LOL

Pine wood is soft, so using the 100-grit abrasive made this quick and easy. Rip it right away.

In the final step, I switched to 220-grit sandpaper, which showed off thewood grainand gave me a nice, smooth surface on which to apply my stain.

I’m glad I decided to leave the nail holes as is. I think it adds to the rustic charm of the project.

ChoosingA Water-basedStain Color

Water-basedstains come in a wide variety of colors and shades. It is important that the finish works with your personal preference. I suggest you try a few options and see what works best for you.

Here are the four options I am working with today—the ultimate water-based solution for wood staining.

I think the darkest stain in this collection ofwood staincolors is perfect for matching the color in my bathroom. It’s called Charred Hickory, and I think it will be a great match. The other colors were too light to go well with my room’s decor. I have other projects to do in the future that these colors would work well with, so I’ll save them for then.

When I chose thisstain color, I considered thatpine woodhas underlying yellow and sometimes orange tones. The tint of gray in this color should cancel or tone them down.

Do I need A PreStain WoodConditioner?

The answer depends on the type of wood. I would say yes if this were a maple or oak dresser. The pre-wood conditioner helps with colorblotchesand gives a more even stained finish.

Since I’m working with raw lumber, I have another method for getting an even-colored finish. In the next step, I’ll show you how to get aconsistent colorfor each coat so you don’t have to go back and recoat a section that you missed.

How To Achieve A Consistent Color

It is best to wet the wood first to get an even stain. Using a mist bottle, lightly mist the area you want to stain with water. This is a crucial part of stainingpine woodbecause if you don’t apply water, you could end up with an uneven color orshade.

This means that dampening thesurface of the woodbefore application will prevent the stain from being absorbed too quickly and lengthen the dry time before it is fully absorbed.

How To Apply Water-base Stain

After misting the wood’s surface with water, add thegel stainto the surface. I squeeze it straight from the bottle. Be sure to shake the stain well before using it.

Spread the stain with a clean cotton cloth, gauze pad, or foam applicator and rub it into the wood.

Don’t worry about the amount of stain you’re adding. Add asmuch stainas you think you’ll need. You should end up with the stain covering the whole surface.

Look how this color toned down the orange!

If any stain remains after the first coat is applied, gentlywipeaway anyexcess stainon the wood’s surface. Then, allow the first coat to dry thoroughly. If more coats are needed to get theshadeyou desire, let each coat dry before applying the next one.

Multiplecoats of staincan be applied to get theshadeyou want.

AddTopcoatFor ADurableFinish

Once you have reached the desiredstain color, apply atopcoatfor enhanceddurability. A clear wood sealant or a colored varnish would be appropriate, matching the tone of the wood and protecting it from stains.

Because I’m using this wood bench in my bathroom (wet area) next to the tub, I chose to use Gator Hide for this project due to its water-repellant and rock-hard finish.

Stir the contents of the container until mixed well. Do not shake. Doing so will create air bubbles that will affect the smoothness of your beautiful stained pine wood.

It’s easy to apply. Using a 2-inch good-quality synthetic paint brush, Apply a thin coat, working in one direction to minimize brush strokes. Do not overwork.

Allow the first coat to dry completely before applying thesecond coat.

You can also lightlysandbetween coats with fine-gritsandpaper. Do notsandthe final coat.

Using this method of application with Gator Hide will result in a beautiful finish for years to come.

Bench Makeover Results

I’m so happy I got around to finishing this bench! It’s a nice addition to my bathroom, holding all the stuff I need (candle, too) for when I want to have a little “tubber” without getting everything wet. It’s all organized and at my fingertips—scrubby soap included! I L O V E this soap with the built-in scrubber!

And can I mention how much I love this antique tub? It was one of my favorite things when we purchased our home. Would you like to see more of our unique home? CLICK HERE for the video tour.

And the color of the wood turned out exactly like I wanted.

Thanks for reading today. I hope you enjoyed learning how to stain pine wood with gel stain.

Consider the ease of use and water cleanup with this gel stain when working on your DIY wood projects. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please share it with your DIY friends. Oh, and PIN it to your favorite DIY board on Pinterest for easy access later. Don’t forget to say hi in the comment section so I know you stopped by. It always makes my day. 🙂

Until the next project… xo, Do