Hints and Tips

Paint or Woodstain - Which is best for your project?

Wood finishes can be divided into four main groups:

1. Preservative
   Colours and preserves new or weathered sawn timber. Cannot be applied over any film build coatings i.e. all the other wood finish categories listed below.
2. Paints
   High build coatings which obliterate the underlying surface i.e. they are opaque.
3. Varnishes
   High build coatings through which the underlying surface can be seen i.e. they are transparent.
4. Woodstains
   Can be low to high build coatings which are either semitransparent i.e. they are coloured but allow the underlying surface to be seen or they can be opaque, obliterating the surface.

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. Where fillers have been used, colour will vary with the surrounding timber.




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