FIX Tacky Stain - Applied Too Much - Waited Too Long - Stain Too Light - Common Beginner Problems
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- čas přidán 6. 02. 2022
- Hey guys! Here's how to fix a few beginner problems!
Sticky Stain - Applied too much - Stain Wont Dry Overnight
This can be extremely frustrating. I messed up and laid my stain on really thick and then left it overnight because my wood just wasn't taking the stain and every time I wiped it off it was extremely light in color and I wanted that deep red chestnut look. when I came back the next day the wood had splotchy sticky spots all over it where the stain just wasn't penetrating and drying. There's three ways to fix this: Re-Stain, Use a solvent, or Sand it down. by far the easiest way to fix this is to use the solvents that are already in your stain to rewet your workpiece and scrub away the sticky areas, following up with thoroughly wiping off the excess and drying the workpiece. this specifically is what I talk about in this video and is by far the easiest method that won't ruin your finish. the next method is to use a solvent such as mineral spirits or whatever is meant to help clean up your stain. check the can for details but this could cause splotchiness and ruin the look of your workpiece. The last method is to send the work piece back down starting at a low grade such as 60 and working your way up to a higher Grit. this means you'll probably have to restain and redo all of your work.
Stain Not Dark Enough
Sometimes when staining your workpiece the first and second coats just don't seem to be taking very well and are really light. This can be caused by using a high grit sandpaper to finish your work piece such as 220 Grit or even using wood conditioner. What this basically does is polishes the wood and doesn't allow deep enough grooves for the stain to penetrate. Fix this by using a lower Grit sandpaper such as 170 or 150, maybe even lower depending how dark you want it. Remember, you can always add multiple coats! Read the instructions on the can for multiple coats.
Stain Is Blotchy or Splotchy
Using Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner to prep the wood is a very good idea! This will even out the stain and allow it to be uniform and provide an overall easier and better looking final result. - Jak na to + styl
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Thanks for making the video. Youare the only one to address the issue of tacky/blotching. This helps immensely!😊
More than welcome! 🤘
Thank you so much for this video, I thought two of my 6ft boards for my mirror frame were ruined after working so hard on sanding & staining, but your video literally saved my project, money, and hard work, thank you so much!
More than welcome! Glad I could help!
Awesome!! You saved my cabinets! Your method was awesome!! Thank you! Would have never thought but it worked like a champ!!
Thank you. Saved my project by following this simple advice.
Thank you for posting this advice! Like so many others, it worked for my issue. Just wanted to leave a comment to help the algorithm for others to find this, too.
Awesome and no ad’s! Great vid!!
Thank you - I left a 2nd coat of espresso stain on a project because I love when it looks super dark but not black - and it turned sticky, so here we are. I have faith now I can save the project
Awesome video. Thank you for making this!
Thank you for your video, right to the point. Your method saved my floors.
Thank you so much. I was able to fix my project with your method.
I've read online how to do this, but thanks to you, now I can SEE how it's done vs just reading how it's to be done . Much appreciation 👍
I ran into the same thing! Glad I could help!
Thank you so much. I'm going to try this. I messed mine up pretty bad. I'm a newbie to all this
7:07 pm March 10,2024. I am so glad I found your video. You helped me greatly. Thanks so much.
So glad found your video. This is exactly what I’m going through with staining the cedar with the dark walnut colour. Thank you 🤩
Glad to help! 🤘
Done my dinning table twice making the same mistake. Thanks for your help. Works well.
Thank you so much for this video.
Thank you very much! Got too much time admiring my staining expertise on one speaker and forgot the other pair was dried up. What a mess I've done! Awesome video thanks again!
More than welcome! Hope your speakers come out perfect! 🤘
Very helpful!!! Thanks!
Super helpful! Thank you!!!!!
Thank You so much for the fast and easy explanation! You saved me so much time 💚
So glad I could help! More than welcome! ❤️
Im so glad I found your video! My media cabinet and floating shelves were drying for over a week and they were still tacky. I did a light sand first and then reapplied the stain and wiped it off like you suggested and now they are drying tack free. Thank you!
So glad it helped you out! 🤘
This is exactly the problem I have right now. I use too high a grit (220) and it wouldn’t grab the stain. Then I added more and now it’s all sticky. THANK YOU!!!
More than welcome!
Thank you! I saw myself having to start all over again. Way to tacky to dry. Thought I'd make a huge mess even attempting to sand again. Worked like a charm!
So glad it helped! Hope your project turns out great!
This saved me a ton of time! Thank you!
More than welcome! Glad to help!
Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!!! I thought we had destroyed the legs of my chair. You are a God send. 🙏🏾🙏🏾👍🏾👍🏾
More than welcome! Glad you got it figured out!
Thanks for the insight! Solved my problem, thank you.
More than welcome!
Thanks a million I’m so thankful for your info…. I would have never guessed and it works 100%
More than welcome! Glad to help! 🤘
Thanks, man... my problem exactly.
Great video just what we needed
Glad to help!
Thanks for the video. Very helpful
More than welcome!
In having just that problem with my diningroom and living room. Thanks for your help
OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO STRAIGHT TO THE POINT!! I just stained a pine board 3 coats and left overnight!! It did not feel dry all the way and was too dark😭😭 Hopefully you just saved me from making a ton more of mistakes!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!😅😁
So glad I could help! Good luck! 🤘
Thankyou for the video very helpful!!
You're very welcome! 🤘
Thank you for this video! I did everything wrong with this little wood relief piece - used a brush, left it out over night, etc, etc. I am going to try this to fix my stick stain! Thanks again!
Hope you got your project back on track! :)
Thank you!
Thank you for this vid, I did exactly what you did (too much and 1 coat on top of the other).
This put my mind at ease. Thanks! Glad I don't have to get my palm sander out again....
Glad to help!
Thank you so much man I've been tryina find what to do
More than welcome! Glad I could help!
THANK YOU!!!!
Thank Youuuuuu so much
Great advice!
Thanks man!
This saved me so much time on fixing my dining room floors!
So happy to hear!
Thank you.
Awesome video!
How did you get that dark color in the end? I have that same problem where when I wiped it off it was really light.
Thanks You solved my problem.
More than welcome!
Good video. Thanks
More than welcome!
very helpful thank you
Glad it was helpful! More than welcome!
Works great thank you
More than welcome!
Thank you for the video, I may not have to start completely over now.😅
You! I did my first staining today. I didn't read the instructions 🤦 I know, dumb! But I have been trying to find research and it hasn't worked. I couldn't find anything. Thank you. Thank you! Thank you!
So glad I could help!
Thanks for the vid!
Is it OK to use a 120 first and finish with a 220 without running into this issue?
Thanks king. Lesson learned the hard way lol
More than welcome!
Great thank you 👍
More than welcome!
thank you bro, your are live saver
More than welcome! 🤘
Clean up is mineral spirits. Definitely should not go above 120-grit when staining. 220 is used between coats of polyurethane, but you learn from your mistakes. Good job!
Appreciate it!
Mineral spirits for oil and water based stain?
This is the exact problem I’m dealing with. I didn’t wipe my stain off after applying. Rooky mistake. I first applied a stain that had polyurethane in it, didn’t wipe it off and dint have enough to finish. Store didn’t have any more so I went with a non polyurethane for my second coat. Oh boy…another rooky mistake😜 Thank you for your video.
More than welcome! 🤘
Thanks I had no idea what I did wrong!
So glad I could help you out!
Makes total sense that I put it on too thick in spots, causing the pigment to stay and be sticky forever, I'll try a wipe down with some spirits or thinner like suggested, thanks!
More than welcome! 🤘
Thanks! I just did my first project and ran into this issue.
More than welcome!
THANK YOU
More than welcome!
Thank you!! I couldn't figure out why its tacky. My fault, i left the stain on the wood overnight.
More than welcome! 🤘
I just moved into a new apartment and they stained every wood surface VERY heavily in 100+ degree Texas heat and of course every surface is sticky. I've been trying to find solutions for a few days now so thank you!
Hope it works well for you! ❤️
How did it work?
thanks this was very helpful now lets see if I can save my headache of a project lol
Good luck! 🤘
Thanks!!!
More than welcome!
OMG, thank you so much for this. I stained my deck using oil based stain about 3 days ago and some areas are still tacky.. I am headed to the store now to get some of this product and hopefully I can get those areas cleaned up.
Hope it works well! Good luck!
This worked perfectly. My deck is all dried and looks lovely. Thank you so much.
@@charmainelondonwilliams7952 so glad to hear!
Thanks bro really
More than welcome! 🤘
I hope this works for my project everything else is talking about scrubbing with mineral spirits which I don’t wanna do so hopefully this works
would this work if you forgot to wipe access oil on decking? A couple boards are tacky because I didn't wipe away the extra oil ...
Yes this is my situation and these two literally are still trying to wipe it up vs just looking up a damn video. I knew I should’ve done the job myself 😑😫. It’s been a week and they are still on the stain stage. We have guests Coming next weekend and I’m starting to lose it.
😂 thank you so much for the advice! I guess I now have to go buy more stain, because I’m damn sure not about to go and rent another expensive stander and restart this whole process again. I’ll know better next time 🙄😓.
Haha hope it turns out well for you!
I stained a wood board several times to match a piece of furniture. Now its the correct color but tacky. If I use more stain to fix it, will the color remain the same or will it get a lot lighter?
OMG you finally answered my question!! Thank you so much. my mom painted the stain SEVERAL days ago and has paniced and feel so sad that the whole floor my dad replaced is messed up. The whole floor is tachy/sticky and for 4 days has had fans blowing on it and she doesnt knw what else to do. i will battle this issue this weekend and going to use paint thinner to fix it now.
So glad I could help! On the can of stain it should say what you can use for cleanup. Generally its odorless mineral spirits and that should work perfectly if you dont want to use the stain :)
Thank you!!!! Couldn't get my oak dark enough and that's what happened to me. So annoying!!
Glad you were able to fix it! 🤘
Thanks! I'm gonna try it right now!
Hope it works well for you and your project! 😊
@@jbsdiygarage Thanks! It did help but there were a few spots I couldn't get to cooperate. So, ( this fit my needs and the look I wanted) I thought what if I use some clear coat spray paint? No, that might make it more of a sticky mess. 🤔
Then, I wiped down all the wood (building an easel to display a painting I made for a friend of mine) b/c I wanted it to look distressed anyways. After that I brushed all the wood with mod podge. It worked! Got rid of all the tacky spots and sealed the wood! It came out better then I expected. 😉
Thanks for the inspiration though.
More than welcome! Glad you got it figured out!
@@jbsdiygarage sometimes being craft helps. 😉
I am also dealing with this same issue of tackiness but on a piece of furniture. I sanded it down but am worried as the cracks/crevices on the detailed parts of the furniture are tacky. Any suggestions for how I might fix this?
Any advice for what to do if too much stain was applied and then the finished clear coat was also applied? 😬
Yeah man, thank you indeed for this, i suspected re applying stain could possibly save 2 of the boards from my restoration project that had the same issue, but was too chicken shit to try it myself i’ll admit.
Glad it helped you out! 🤘
Damn I just your honesty. 👍
i think mine was tacky because i didn't stir it occasionally while working and like you said, the separation of pigment/poly/etc. was working against me. tks this helped
Glad to have helped!
I always use a sponge to stain with. Ill cut it up into little pieces depending on how much needs to be stained.
What happens if you put stain on and then sealer?
I'm currently having a similar dilemma on oak handrails that were previously painted. I chemically removed the paint, cleaned, then went through tiered sanding starting with 80 grit and ending with 150 grit. The client is looking for a dark finish but the wood did not seem to want to get so dark. I achieved the most success by "conditioning" the wood with water which raised the grain but didn't result in a lighter finish like what happens with the actual wood conditioner. After all this, it was more than acceptable. I let all of this dry for 24 hours. The next day when I applied the first coat of oil-based poly, I started to notice light spots, some in line with the grain and others that were more blotchy. I'm really at a loss for how I can achieve the level of darkness desired, while avoiding blotchiness. I will inevitably have to sand it all down again and start fresh, but i'm worried without understanding the underlying source of the problem, that I will go through all that work again (painstaking) and then encounter the same problem again. Any thoughts anyone?
The only thing I would suggest is using a lower grit sandpaper like 100 or 120 grit so the wood can accept more stain. Another option might be to apply a coat of stain, let it sit 5-10 minutes then wipe it dry, then reapply and repeat until you get the desired darkness but the wood might not be able to accept much more stain. Hope this helps!
Seriously, thank you for this video. We did our floors 2 days ago. Still have not dried. Now I know how to fix it. Lol. I hope.
Please update and let us know how it worked out! Hope it worked!
So did it dry
@@jbsdiygarage how did it came out in the end because I'm having the same issue
@@juniormena5101 yes, once you run it down with stain, get the tackyness out of it, and wipe off all the stain well, it will dry just fine for you to put poly over once it's dry 🙂
Did the finish adhere ok?
Wow, thank you very much! My cedar chest looks beautiful, all thanks to you! 💕 I have a question if your time prevails. I wanted to use a polyurethane coat on my cedar chest, but Lowe’s did not have it in stock, so they sold me a mini wax helmsman spar urethane clear gloss. Can I just apply the gloss and be finished, let it dry and my job is complete?
Hey! You can use that urethane just fine as long as the cedar chest and stain is completely dry! Id allow a day or two to dry out just to be sure. Then you apply a thin coat of the urethane, and let it dry for 4-6 hrs before another coat. Sand lightly between coats and wipe away dust with a tack cloth. When doing the last coat, let it dry for 24 hrs before use :)
@@jbsdiygarage You are a blessing, 🙏 THANK YOU! Is it really necessary to sand it, can I do without sanding?
@@janlily63 you can but id look up how to do so. Im not entirely sure on that!
Thank you again, deeply appreciate it! Enjoy your day….
@@janlily63 more than welcome! You too!
I'm done staining and in process of adding "water base polyurethane" on top of my oil based stain. Instructions say it's fine, but I'm thinking of just exchanging this polyurethane for an oil based polyurethane. Any thoughts/ advice? Thanks
I personally would stick with oil based poly as itll be more durable than water based. I always stick with the same base to avoid unwanted reactions. Hope this helps! :)
@@jbsdiygarage 💯 that makes sense. Thank you 👌
For the tacky wood stain problem after i use the solution you talked about in the video how long will it take for it to be untacky
It will immediately be untacky. It should be smooth once you scrub the tacky spot with more stain. Then you should wipe it all up really good immediately so it doesn't get tacky again.
@@jbsdiygarage Wow great! thank you so much for this information I really appreciate you helping me!
@@KleinerFuchs04 more than welcome! Good luck on your project! 🙂
I HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION ON MY FRONT WOODEN DOOR . I USED PRESTAIN OVER THE WOOD STAIN THAT WAS ALREADY THERE NOW IM FRUSTRATING I WANT TO SAND IT TOO THE RAW WOOD BUT THAT'S GONNA BE A JOB . I HAVE 4 squares that has Designs into the wood ..
SHOULD I SAND WITH A 80 GRIT AND USE REGULAR WOOD STAIN THAT MATCHES BEST . THEN POLYURETHANE IT WHEN ITS LOOKING BETTER WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE GRAINS AND THE WOOD STAIN ISN'T DISCOLORED..
WHAT SHOULD I DO U THINK .?? THANKS BROTHER
If it's sticky, Clean it up with the solvent the can says to clean up with, then I'd do either 40-60-100 grit sequence or 36-50-80 depending on what grit would work best for your wood floor. I'd do some research on what final grit would be best for your application. Then clean it up, either prestain or skip it if it doesn't seem to take well, then stain it, clean up the stain immediately. Let it dry then polyurethane it with whatever sheen you're looking for 🤘 just use the same oil or water based for stain and poly
@@jbsdiygarage MUCH APPRECIATED YOUR A GOOD GUY RESPONDING TO MY PROBLEM WITHIN 24 HOURS... ILL LET U KNOW HOW THIS DOOR COMES OUT .. IM SURE YOUR WAY IS THE ANSWER... LET'S GO YANKEE'S. LOL..
GOD BLESS MA MAN 👍✌️🗽
@@ivanolongo2627 more than welcome! Good luck!
Yep...sounds about right...i put too much on and left if obernight...same shit happened nice video
Just ran into this on a guitar I'm working on - I went WAY too far into sanding (800 grit) and prestain or not, it came out very blotchy. Today is fixit day. (also this water-based minwax is as thick as regular paint O.o)
Let us know how it comes out!
@@jbsdiygarage I absolutely will. Hey while I have you: do you happen to know if mineral spirits are appropriate to pull off some of this or if it's better to go with sanding? It's agarthis (pine) if that matters.
@@NotBenCoultry you can use mineral spirits if it's mineral spirits based/says cleanup with mineral spirits but if it's a water based one, you'd use water to clean up excess as far as I know! Hope that helps! 🤘
@@NotBenCoultry you could also try a small test spot to see if the mineral spirits takes it up without any negative side effects. But I'd assume if it's water based that using a damp rag might be your best bet
@@jbsdiygarage Man you're a big help I gotta say - I also turned up squat on similar searches to what you mentioned in the vid. I'll try water first. Appreciate you.
So I got my floors done , it’s been 4 days and it’s still sticky . The guy used Varathene and it’s not drying .
Can I use this method for my wood floor, it’s tacky because I didn’t wipe it up, now I don’t know what to do.
Yessir, just add more stain and scrub it off with a fresh towel afterwards
@@jbsdiygarage how long after putting more stain do you rub it off?
@@chowchowkenobi9769 almost immediately to 1-2 minutes. Do a couple test spots to see what works
Hey I know this videos a year old but just to help any one else I used a very small anount of acetone on a rag and just quicky wiped the tacky areas. Took it right off and didnt effect the stain underneath. Im sure it would if you rubbed hard enough but just a quick wipe and problem was solved.
Good to know!
@@jbsdiygarageHELP ME; I put too much varnish on my peel stick vinyl and it is still tacky
@@oddettelamazonjones1095 to be honest, im not sure about varnish but id assume youll need whatever solvent it says on the can to clean it up
What if my stain dried with some shiny spots but is not tacky? Help!😫
Same thing applies, you should be able to wipe it down with more stain and get that out. Id spot test with a qtip or something small first to see if the wood grain itself is shiny or if its leftover stain :) could be perfectly fine to poly over if the shine doesnt come off with spot testing.
looks like the areas that didn't dry properly is more "wood filler" than wood. so the stain just sat on top of the wood filler vs. absorbing into real wood
can you reapply the stain after having coats of polyurethane put on?
Not that Im aware of. The polyurethane will prevent the stain from being able to penetrate. You might be able to use a Poly with stain mixed in it like PolyShades to darken it but im not too sure how well that would work. I would do a test sample if youre going to do it. Otherwise you will need to sand off the poly and get back to the bare wood
@@jbsdiygarage yes you can. It's very common pra Tice for pieces that contain different woods.
The only stain you can apply over polyurethane is Gel based stain which is PolyShades or other stains with Urethane already mixed in. If you use standard wood stain like in my video, the stain only works by penetrating into the wood. Putting standard stain over a polyurethane layer will just pool up, get sticky, and not soak into the wood.
@@jbsdiygarage sorry I replied to the wrong comment. 😅
@@floridagirl386 haha no worries!
Does leaving it out in the sun fix it or no?
Unfortunately not. Itll just stay tacky due to the pigment on top
I just followed your instructions, how long did you wait before applying polyurethane? I just heard you saying overnight but have you ever done it sooner?
@@RedLtdGuitar you sould be good as long as its totally dry to the touch and totally wiped off with a clean towel. Id wait at least the time stated on your can of stain.
Hopefully by tomorrow it'll be good to go. Still a bit sticky but not as much as prior to applying and wiping the stain.
@@RedLtdGuitar if its still sticky, youll need to scrub it with more stain and it should be smooth once wiped dry
Never heard of 175 grit sand paper before
Lol meant to say 180
Henceforth... today shall be known as JB day! I raise my Johnny Black to you sir!
Haha appreciate it!
Americans are too lucky. We dont have those minwax products here. We have cheap crap from italy
Thanks