Paragraph 54. After the surface of the wood has been made perfectly smooth and absolutely all imperfections removed, the next thing to do is to decide upon the desirable color. If the natural color of the wood is wanted no staining nor dyeing will be required. There are a great many kinds of stains and dyes on the market, many of which are good while others are worse than worthless. The stains which are recommended to give satisfactory results with one coat, thus producing all of the steps of wood finishing, are not to be relied upon for satisfactory work.

Some wood dyes are mixed with water, some with alcohol, some with oil and turpentine. The water dyes are very cheap, but are not highly recommended because the water soaks into the wood and raises the grain very badly, leaving the surface very rough when it is dry. This is hard to overcome by inexperienced workmen.

The spirit dyes, as a rule, give rather satisfactory results, because they do not fade as badly as some of the other dyes. They penetrate the wood deeply, but, like the water dyes, they raise the grain considerably and cause the surface to be rough. It is also rather difficult to get an even, smooth color, for they are likely to leave blotches and spots in the stain.

The oil stains are very easy to use and can be handled by the inexperienced finisher with very satisfactory results. The oil stains do not penetrate so deeply and consequently do not raise the grain so badly. The oil stains are usually rubbed with a rag after being applied; this rubs off the surplus and allows the natural beauty of the grain to stand out in a very desirable way.

In mixing or preparing a stain of any sort you should first try it on a scrap of the same kind of wood upon which you expect to use it. Never test the stain on your piece of finished work. After the stain has become thoroughly dry, which may require several hours, examine the wood carefully and see that it is perfectly smooth. If the grain has been raised it may be necessary to go over it very lightly with sharp sandpaper, but you must be very careful not to sandpaper too hard or you will cut through the stain in places. If the article is not yet the desired color, another coating of stain may be added, but the desired color must be obtained before the next process of wood finishing is undertaken.