Staining Wood Dark : 7 Tips to Get Darker & Richer Finish

If you ask me, how to make the stain darker on wood, there are lots of ways to darkening the wood stain onto the wood surface. You can select any one from them to affordably darken your wood stain.

But before picking anyone from them, the question arises at first, do you want to darken the existing stain of the wood or you have to make a darker stain on the non-stained wood?

However, no matter what is your purpose. Follow my article I am explaining all provable processes to make stain darker (darker stain!) on wood.

Let’s start to go in the deep of- ‘The most affordable methods for staining wood dark.’

Tools and Materials you may need:

• Sandpaper (120, 220-grit)
• Dump cloth.
• Rubber gloves.
• Eye goggles.
• Face mask.
• Wood conditioner.
• stain (Oil-based/water-based/Solvent-based)
•  finish/Polyurethane (A match to the wood stain)

If you want to know how to stain the wood, here are your answers.

1. Wood stain darkening using a wood stain (gel stain, wiping stain, combination stain, water-based liquid stain, spray strain. Etc.)
2. Wood stain over the wood stain.
3. Darken wood without wood stain (coffee, tea)

How to Pick the Wood Stain?

There are several kinds of wood stains available in the hardware shop. Which one you should prefer to stain your wood? So, let’s see the various wood stains at first.

Oil-based wood stain:

They are durable wood stain since they can penetrate deep, can seal the wood and can protect the colour for a longer duration.

They don’t put any dried-up marks and they don’t need in a large amount to stain the wood. The problem is using this stain is that you need to give a longer time to apply this wood stain.

a) Water-based wood stain:

A wood finish professional put emphasize to use a water-based wood stain to stain the wood.

Water present into the water-based wood stain, absorb by the wood grain and force the stain pigments to go into the deep of the grain.

Besides this, water-based wood stains have a less odd smell, they apply evenly onto the wood surface and they dry faster. Water-based wood stain can easily clean with soap water.

b) Solvent-Based Wood Stain:

A solvent-based wood stain features to fast-drying, easy to apply, fade resistance, etc. This type of wood stain is ideal to apply in such wood surface which has to expose in the direct sunlight.

c) Varnish Based Wood Stain:

A varnished-based wood gives some pigmented wood stain onto the wood surface. It is a combination of both the varnish and the stain.

d) Coloured Wood Stain:

You can use a coloured wood stain instead of any plain wood stain. A black wood stain, a grey wood stain (including some others), can enhance the beauty of the wood stain by putting different shades and tones onto them.

Each wood stain described here has some advantages and disadvantages. However, their mechanism of action may different but their function is the same, and that is wood staining.

Oil-based wood stain is most popular now a day. You can pick one oil-based wood stain to stain your wood surface.

5 Steps To Stain Wood Darker:

1. Wood Sanding:

If you want to make a dark stain on the unfinished wood surface, you have to sand it at first.

Here I suggest using coarser sandpaper for this purpose. However, a finished wood surface needs sanding as well, so don’t be confused here.

• Do the first sanding using 120 grit sandpaper.
• Never sand in the opposite direction of the wood grain, it spoils the grain scratching onto it.
• Do a second sanding using a 220-grit wood sander. If any scratches create due to the 120-grit sanding it will be removed after 220-grin sanding.
• Clean the wood surface using a vacuum cleaner or a damp cloth.

2. Wood Conditioning:

A wood conditioning needs to be done in a smooth and clean wood top. You can use any renowned wood conditioner brand to conditioning the wood.

However, if you want to be specific, you can go with Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner.

• Apply the conditioner onto the clean wood surface using a brush or cloth.
• Let the conditioner to penetrate inside the stain approximately for five to fifteen minutes.
• Wipe the excess conditioner using a clean and dry cloth.

3. Wood Staining:

• After two hours have passed off the wood conditioning, go for the wood staining.
• Stir the wood stain vigorously. Whatever the carrier of the wood stain(oil/water) it is lighter than the stain pigments. Therefore, the wood pigments tend to deposit at the bottom of the stain container naturally. A good shaking will make a fin mixture of the pigments into the solvent.
• Apply the wood stain onto the wood surface. The name of one wood stain-General Finishes Oil Base Editor’s Choice(if you want to specific). Use a brush, sponge, or microfiber cloth to apply the stain.
• Work in a circular direction. A circular applying of the wood satin will go in the deep of the wood grain.
• Do not apply the wood stain opposite to the wood grain. It needs to apply in the same direction.
• Let the stain dry. The longer you let the stain to dry the more it will dark, it is the general formula, however, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to completely be sure about the stain drying time.

4. Staining over stain:

It is the process to make your lighter stain darker. Preliminary using a darker wood stain (like walnut) naturally can make a darker wood stain onto your wood surface.

However, if you use a lighter wood stain to stain the wood grain, do a second wood staining onto the first wood stain and let it dry for a longer time.

5. Seal the Stain:

This is the final stage and you need to complete it successfully. Wood staining is only a layer of colour onto your wood surface. It doesn’t protect the wood.

Moreover, to seal the wood stain and to protect the wood you need to use a polyurethane layer/wood finish onto the wood stain.

• Use a polyurethane or lacquer finish on the wood stain layer. Here I will suggest using an oil-based polyurethane if already you have used the oil-based wood stain.

Again, if you use a water-based wood stain, use a water-based polyurethane in that case. The type of polyurethane and the wood stain should match to each other.

• Apply two of the polyurethane layers to ensure a secured wood stain onto the wood surface.

6. Wood stain on a wood stain:

You may be wondering how to do a wood staining on a previous wood stain!

However, this process is basically for those consumers, who want to make their existing lighter wood stain darker.

So how to do this? See below-

7. Remove The Existing Sealed Topcoat:

You cannot apply a wood stain onto a sealed top coat. So, you need to remove the sealing layer at first.

Clean the wood surface with a strong detergent. Dry the wood surface. Sand the wood surface using a medium grit wood sander.

You can use a wood finish blender if you want to avoid the sanding. There are many polyurethane stain blends are available in the market, you can pick one of them.

8. Apply The Wood Conditioner:

Basically, for softwood like oak, I recommend using a wood conditioner. You can use this chemical for your hardwood surface as well.

However, apply the wood conditioner using a soft brush or soft cloth onto the wood surface. Wait for 5 to 10 minutes to dry the conditioner.

9. Apply the wood stain:

Now it is the turn to apply the wood stain on the previous wood stain. Use a darker wood stain of your existing lighter wood stain.

Apply a multilayer of the stain. It will make a darker wood stain. Let dry the stain for one day.

Read More: How to Get a Glass Like Finish on Wood Furniture.

10. Apply The Wood Finish:

This process is the same as all wood finishing applying procedures. Use a wood finish like polyurethane, shellac, automotive wax or even varnish can seal the wood stain and can protect the wood color.

11. Wood Stain Darkening Using Tea:

It is one of the popular natural DIY processes to darkening the wood stain on the wood surface. It is an affordable process since it doesn’t cost any wood stain or wood finish from you.

a) Prepare the natural wood stain and wood finish:

Boiled two cups of water. Pour this hot water into a heat-resistant big mouth-pot. Keep two black teabags inside the hot water.

Let the teabag soak into the hot water for one full day and full night.

This soaked water will use the wood stain on your wood surface. Keep one 0000-grade steel wool pad in a separate container. Pour some apple cider vinegar to merge the metal wool inside the pot.

Let the wool to stay into the vinegar for 24 hours. This vinegar will act the wood finish on your wood paint so it needs to soak the vinegar by the metal.

b) Sand the wood:

Before you apply the black tea water as a wood stain, prepare the wood piece by sanding it.

You can use a medium grit sander to sand the wood. Once sanding is complete, wipe all dirt from the surface and make it clean.

c) Stain the wood:

Apply the black tea onto the wood surface using a paintbrush. Cover every inch of the wood surface and apply the black tea water to the wood grain direction.

Apply this black tea several times to get a darken wood stain. Before giving the next coat of stain, let the black tea absorbed onto the wood surface and let it completely dry.

d) Seal the wood stain:

Apply the steel wool and vinegar mixer onto the top of the wood stain on the wood surface.

Make sure you have covered all the patches to deal with this natural wood finish.

This mixer ultimately will oxidize the wood stain and will make it darker. If you want to give a multilayer onto the wood stain let the first layer to dry and then go for the second layer.

12. Wood stain darkening using coffee:

Wood staining using tea or coffee both needs the same process almost. However, if you want to be specific, follow the below-written processes.

a) Prepare the wood stain and wood finish:

Pour one cup of dark coffee ground with 296-300ml hot water. Let soak the coffee ground into the hot water.

Make sure you have made this coffee in a heat resistant container.

Wait 20 to 30 minutes to set the coffee and to cool it down. Mesh the coffee using a coffee filter onto a mesh strainer.

b) Sand the wood:

Use a 160-220 grit sandpaper and sand the wood piece. Do not sand in the opposite direction of the wood grain that naturally exist on the wood surface. Remove the wood dust from the wood surface and clean it.

c) Apply the wood stain:

Apply the natural coffee water as the wood stain onto the wood surface. As coffee exerts a dark colour onto the wood surface, do not apply it too much.

After you have finished applying this coffee, let the wood surface completely dry.

d) Seal the wood stain:

once you have obtained the demand wood stain, go for seal it. Use a natural sealer or an artificial wood finish to seal the stain and to protect it further.

How to Stain wood- Some wood Staining Tips:

1. Use a renowned wood stain, polyurethane to stain your wood.
2. Before starting the wood staining, leave the hinges, handles, or know. Because wood staining chemicals also may change the metal colour.
3. Any unabsorbed stain or lacquer should not stay on the wood surface for a longer time.
4. After two hours of the wood conditioner apply, start applying wood staining.
5. Do a match of the wood stain and the finish. Like an oil-based stain and an oil-based polyurethane, again a water-based wood stain with a water-based wood finish. Go that way.
6. Use a synthetic brush to apply the water-based wood stain. And use a metal brush to apply the oil-based wood stain.
7. Hardwood needs to apply multiple layers of the wood stain to do a darker wood stain. Keep it in your mind always.
8. Use a dormant wood portion to check the colour of the wood stain before you applied it on your workpiece.
9. A mixer of two wood stains works better sometimes!
10. A warm stain is more workable! However, don’t go to warm the stain in your oven!
11. Once you have applied the wood finish don’t go to again apply the wood stain onto the seal coat. A wood stain onto the wood finish (varnish, shellac, wax, polyurethane) is not suggested anyhow.
12. Dark Staining on a lighter stain is much greater to make a darker wood stain. So, you can follow it.
13. Take all safety measures before you start the wood staining job.
14. Wood staining needs to do in a well-ventilated and open place.
15. Make sure your work area is out of reach of any children.

Final verdict:

So, this is all about on- The most affordable methods on how to make stain darker on wood. If you like this article even a little a bit, please don’t forget to share it. Stay well, keep well. Thank you, I hope you will make dark stain wood easily.

Last Updated on June 16, 2021 by Rogers Weber

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