How to Stain Wood Furniture Like a Pro

Wooden chair being covered with black wood stain while wearing blue gloves

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 3 - 6 hrs
  • Total Time: 1 - 2 days
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $25 to $50

Wood furniture pieces that have seen better days can be revived after you sand and stain them. Staining a wood furniture piece can bring back its original look. Or, you can entirely change the appearance of wood chairs, chests, nightstands, or tables by applying a good wood stain of a different color and tone.

Before You Begin

Successful furniture staining is all about careful prep work. The piece must completely be sanded down to bare wood to accept the stain. Any remaining paint, stain, or coating will affect the appearance of the furniture when you stain it.

Test the stain on an inconspicuous section of the wood before staining the entire piece.

Safety Considerations

Work in well-ventilated areas when using stains or coatings. Be sure to wear breathing protection. Stain is difficult to remove from skin, so wear latex or latex-substitute gloves when working with stain. Always wear eye protection. Ingestion can cause burning or pain in the eyes, nose and throat.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Oscillating sander
  • Foam sanding block
  • Brush
  • Microfiber staining pads
  • Screwdriver
  • Shop vacuum
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Tack cloth
  • Cloth dropcloth or contractor masking paper
  • Empty 1-quart paint pail
  • Eye and breathing protection
  • Latex gloves

Materials

  • Stain
  • Clear coating
  • Sandpaper

Instructions

  1. Prepare Work Area and Furniture for Sanding

    Choose a ventilated, protected area, such as outside under a patio cover, in a garage with the door open, or in a well-ventilated shop. Avoid windy areas, since wind can deposit dust and other debris on your work. Place plastic sheeting under the wood furniture before sanding it down. Remove everything from the furniture that will not be sanded, including hinges, knobs, and decorative pieces. Place these items in plastic bags and set them aside.

    Large drop cloth under black wooden chair before sanding

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  2. Sand Furniture

    Carefully sand down the wood furniture. Begin sanding by hand with a sanding block or foam sanding sponge to level down lumpy paint or lacquer. Move to the power sander with fine-grit sandpaper such as #220 for the flat surfaces. Chair spindles can be sanded down by wrapping the sandpaper around the surface and sliding it up and down by hand.

    Wooden chair sanded by hand to remove old finish with sandpaper

    The Spruce / MegMacDonald

  3. Remove Dust

    With the shop vacuum brush attachment and the tack cloth, thoroughly clean the furniture to remove all dust. Test for cleanliness by wiping it down with a clean, white microfiber cloth.

    Warning

    Do not press firmly on the tack cloth. Doing so can embed wax into the wood, necessitating further sanding.

    Lint-free cloth wiping down excess sanding dust from wooden chair

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  4. Prepare Area for Staining

    Remove the furniture from the area. Remove the sheet plastic carefully to avoid spreading dust. Replace the plastic sheet with a cloth dropcloth or with contractor masking paper. Elevate the piece on scrap pieces of two-by-four for better access to the bottom of the piece.

    Large paper and plastic sheets under wooden chair

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  5. Mix Stain

    Wearing latex gloves, open the can with a paint can opening tool or a screwdriver. With a paint stirring stick or a popsicle-style wood stick, slowly stir the stain to mix it up. Do not shake the can. Pour the stain into the empty 1-quart paint pail.

    Wood stain stirred with thin paint stick while wearing blue gloves

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  6. Begin Staining

    Use the microfiber staining pad or brush to stain the wood furniture. To do so, dip part of the pad in the stain and squeeze out the excess. Then, wipe the stain across the wood furniture. Start with the most visible areas, ending with less visible areas.

    Wooden chair flipped over to add black stain first

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  7. Wipe Excess Stain

    As you are staining, occasionally go back and wipe off excess stain with a fresh microfiber cloth. Wiping off the excess stain creates a more consistent color and prevents blotchy areas. Don't progress too far on the piece before coming back to wipe off excess, since excess stain will eventually soak into the piece and create dark spots. Working in the direction of the wood grain will provide the best visual results.

    Lint-free rag removing excess black stain on wooden chair while wearing blue gloves

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  8. Let Stain Dry

    Wood stain dries to the touch fairly quickly and you can move the piece within a couple of hours, if needed. Let the piece dry in a warm, dust-free area.

    Wooden chair with fresh black stain sitting out to dry

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

  9. Apply Protective Coating

    After the wood furniture is fully dry, apply a clear protective coating. Applying water- or oil-based polyurethane spray is a good way to protect the piece, while letting the beauty of the stain show through.

    Spray only in an area free of drafts. Drafts create overspray. Overspray is not visible, but it does result in a rough surface that can be fixed only by a final sanding with fine-grit #320 or #220 sandpaper.

    Final finish spray in white spray can sprayed over black-stained wooden chair

    The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

When to Call a Professional

It's often best to have a professional furniture restorer stain wood furniture with delicate or intricate texturing and designs, as these areas can be difficult to sand. For antique pieces of value, it's worthwhile to have a professional take on the project rather than attempting to do it by yourself.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Wood Stains. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.