Restaining Pine

**fordfan485** · 08-08-2012, 10:31 AM

I have bunk beds that my grandfather made for me as a kid about 20 years ago that are made out of pine( I think not 100% on this) and are stained to a honey color with no sealer/poly on top of the stain. My wife wants me to re-stain these to match some furniture (a baby crib and a dresser that we recently ordered) that is maple with a cherry stain.

What would be the best way to tackle this problem? I'm thinking I would have to sand a significant amount of wood on the bunk beds to get it to bare wood to re-stain. This would be huge sanding job since the bed is rather large and has solid panels at the head and foot of the bed. I have read that pine likes to soak up stain. Would a better option be to try darkening the existing stain and try to match the cherry colored furniture? Is that even possible?

**FrankC** · 08-08-2012, 11:05 AM

You are correct pine likes to soak up stain and unfortunately it does not do it evenly so a wood conditioner should be used to prevent blotches in the coverage before applying the stain.

I would remove the previous finish, otherwise your results may be less than perfect, particularly if you are going to a darker stain. You will likely have to remove less material than you think, do you have a Random Orbit Sander?

**fordfan485** · 08-08-2012, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by FrankC

You are correct pine likes to soak up stain and unfortunately it does not do it evenly so a wood conditioner should be used to prevent blotches in the coverage before applying the stain.

I would remove the previous finish, otherwise your results may be less than perfect, particularly if you are going to a darker stain. You will likely have to remove less material than you think, do you have a Random Orbit Sander?

No I dont have any power sander, I was looking at the Festool line of sanders but I have no idea which one would be the best one for the job.

**FrankC** · 08-08-2012, 04:57 PM

Go for the RO 150 and really impress your friends, if this is a legitimate post then forget Festool and go for a $50.00 Porter Cable or similar.

**deepsplinter** · 08-09-2012, 12:46 PM

Frank's gotcha covered.

Sand it down.

$50-60 will get you a good sander.

But, if you're a Ferrari type guy, go the Festool route.

**SawSucker** · 08-09-2012, 01:07 PM

You guys have got alot deeper pockets then I do. I have a old DeWalt Hook and Loop Orbital Sander, back when they were still made in the USA. I bought it new and have used it alot in the past 15- 20 years. I've used it so much that I've had to replace a pad and a set of brushes. It's been a very dependable sander, it came with a Vacuum port, and I use it with a WAP brand Vacuum. I plug the sander into the Vac, and when I turn the sander on, the Vac starts, then when I shut the sander off the Vac shuts off about 5 seconds later to clear the hose of dust.

**AndyD** · 08-11-2012, 07:35 PM

Originally Posted by FrankC

...forget Festool and go for a $50.00 Porter Cable or similar.

I agree. I have nothing against top-of-the-line tools (boy, are they fun to own), but whether or not it makes sense to buy them really comes down to how often you'll be using them. For example, If I'm going to be in the shop sanding stuff five days a week, 52 weeks a year...without hesitation I'll buy the best (and most expensive) sander I can find. But if I'm building only a couple projects a year, the cheaper tools will still get the job done, and at a fraction of the cost.

Yeah, I know, I hate buying cheap tools too :-)