| Even though I filled the grain with epoxy, I still need to use "pre-stain" because Ash is so absorbent. I used pre-stain for water-based stains and painted in on with a foam brush. After it had set for 5 minutes (see specific instructions for your own), I wiped off the excess and let the rest dry. | |
| Here's the back after I put the pre-stain on. The color is much darker than normal, but don't worry, it will lighten back up to the normal shade as it dries. Also, you need to give it a quick smoothing with 220 grit sandpaper afterward, so that will eliminate any residual color difference. I used the foam brush on the right to paint the pre-stain on. | |
| Here's the front drying after I pre-stained it. The green patch is where I tested the pre-stain before I decided to use it. The light color on the bottom of the green is with the pre-stain, and the top part is without. You can't tell in this shot, but without, the stain ends up very uneven. | |
| Here's the setup to start staining. You a stirrer, a foam brush, and a few good, soft, absorbent rags. | |
| This is how I stained. Since the green is so dark, I used the brush to soak the rag with stain. This allowed for a nice thin coat, essential if you want a burst effect like I do. | |
| Here's the first layer of stain. It's pretty heavy, but I way happy with it. | |
| After I did the first layer, I sanded that patch in the middle, but when I did the second layer, the rest became too dark. Also, it doesn't fade from light to dark at all. | |
| That's much better. I sanded most of it off and re-did the burst. However, when I tried to fix the dark spot on the left side, I messed it up and had to re-do the whole thing again. The key is thin layers and patience. | |
| Here's my first attempt at sanding the back. I thought it was good at first, but it doesn't follow the curves well. I re-did it later, but I'll show you the process I took from here. | |
| Here's the next step. To get an even fade, you need to leave only a little around the edge and sand the rest. |