My amazing DH is completing a tack room for me, and the walls are pine t&g. My question - what stain do you guys recommend, if any? I love the natural color, so do I even need to finish it and if so, with what? Thanks in advance!
Pine does not “stain” well…most products from the big-box stores are pigment stains and they botch horribly on pine due to the nature of the pore and grain structure. And since this is T&G, if you don’t color the wood prior to putting it up, you’ll see lighter colored lines as seasonal expansion and contraction occur along the joints.
Pine will darken on it’s own over time and using an oil-based varnish by itself will look just fine. If you truly want to color the pine, a dye stain is a better choice, but ti generally needs to be sprayed on for even coverage and then sealed before applying the varnish.
We’ve always used something like Thomson’s water seal or Log oil, just to keep it from getting too dirty, as that is the biggest issue in a barn is getting the dirt out of the pores. Slather it on before you put it up.
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8314637]
Pine does not “stain” well…most products from the big-box stores are pigment stains and they botch horribly on pine due to the nature of the pore and grain structure. And since this is T&G, if you don’t color the wood prior to putting it up, you’ll see lighter colored lines as seasonal expansion and contraction occur along the joints.
Pine will darken on it’s own over time and using an oil-based varnish by itself will look just fine. If you truly want to color the pine, a dye stain is a better choice, but ti generally needs to be sprayed on for even coverage and then sealed before applying the varnish.[/QUOTE]
It does if you use a “pre-stain wood conditioner” I have gotten very good and consistent “color” using a wood conditioning product. It also helps a lot if the surface is sanded, finishing with 150 grit sometimes 120 is good enough. I use very fine steel wool for the groves. Sanding can be a time consuming PITA, and not being “fine furniture” it can be skipped IMO. Depends on how picky you are.
http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/preparation/minwax-prestain-wood-conditioner
If you want a light coloring I have used a great Tung Oil product called Waterlox for a number of years on wood walls and floors. Excellent for both. It works extremely well on pine. I just used on new T&G pine walls in my farm office. Simple to apply using a “foam pad” applicator. It will darken the pine to a light honey color. But gives a very consistent coverage. It has excellent penetration and absorbs readily into the groves so you will not get any “white lines” with expansion and contraction from weather/humidity changes.
The more you apply the higher the gloss/sheen. Pine being very porous will absorb a lot in the beginning. You have to let it dry between coats but generally depending on drying conditions 2 coats can be applied each day.
It is rather pricey but IMO worth the money. I think you will be very pleased with the results. Buy it by the gallon. Using a wood conditioner may close the pores enough to cut back on the amount needed. But I have never done this and it may affect the “color”. Might be worth asking the seller. Not carried widely but if you go to their web site and give you zip code it gives local retailers
If you know how many square feet you have I can give you a pretty good idea how much you will need.
It does have a high VOX, smell but goes away quickly. You will need to open the windows and maybe use a box fan.
http://www.paintsource.net/pages/products/waterlox/about_waterlox.htm
I use this applicator which can be bought at Home Depot etc.
if you want an old world charm use amber shellac
Gumtree is correct that you can use a “pre-stain” conditioner to help reduce visual issues using pigment stains (which the Minwax products are) on pine. But personally, I use dye when I need to color pine and other species that don’t take pigment stains well.
The Waterlox product mentioned is also a good product.
If anyone uses shellac, and it gets on your skin, then baby oil removes it. A friend found that out, and it really works.
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8315050]
Gumtree is correct that you can use a “pre-stain” conditioner to help reduce visual issues using pigment stains (which the Minwax products are) on pine. But personally, I use dye when I need to color pine and other species that don’t take pigment stains well.
The Waterlox product mentioned is also a good product.[/QUOTE]
Dying pine can give great results. But it can be a bit tricky for the novice. I have not done enough to consider myself proficient and have only done small “projects”. But I found it is important to make up as much needed in one “batch” if you are going for consistent color. Easy enough to do because “Rite Dye” is pretty cheap so you can make gallons of the stuff. It works best if the water is on the warm side of hot when applying.
gumtree- can you share photos and ‘how to’ of how you used Rite Dye to dye wood? Interested.
Gumtree, I use TransTint and TransFast dyes specifically made for woodworking.
I have pine beadboard in my tack room and used Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner and Minwax stain. I tried sanding as well but did not find it was necessary. It looks great, not splotchy at all.
I have a blog post on the process, probably with way more detail than anyone would ever want: http://thesmallhorsefarm.blogspot.com/2014/04/staining-tack-room.html.
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8316243]
Gumtree, I use TransTint and TransFast dyes specifically made for woodworking.[/QUOTE]
There are some really great websites that go into much better detail than I can. Do a search " color dying pine wood".
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;8316243]
Gumtree, I use TransTint and TransFast dyes specifically made for woodworking.[/QUOTE]
That’s what a couple of far better “wood worker” friends then I recommended also. Rite Dye was easier to come by and cheaper.
[QUOTE=Libby2563;8316718]
I have pine beadboard in my tack room and used Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner and Minwax stain. I tried sanding as well but did not find it was necessary. It looks great, not splotchy at all.
I have a blog post on the process, probably with way more detail than anyone would ever want: http://thesmallhorsefarm.blogspot.com/2014/04/staining-tack-room.html.[/QUOTE]
“probably with way more detail than anyone would ever want”
Lol, Kind of like my posts/comments?
I use beadboard in a lot projects. I can get it for pretty reasonable prices around here. I use steel Wood to sand it. Works great to get into the bead and T&G without sanding the bead detail flat.
I love the look of natural pine too. We used McCloskey’s Man O War Gym Sealer on just about everything in the tackroom. Pine floor, T1-11 siding and painted trim. Gave a very hard shiny surface that brought out the beauty of the wood and lasted forever.
I’m sure it was probably super high in VOC’s. Something I would be more careful about if doing it over today but it worked so well then.
Did some checking and it appears they no longer make it but this is supposed to be it’s replacement / same formula. Have not tried it so cannot say if it would work as well.
Don’t know if this will work well for walls, but I used Bartley Gel Stain on a pine armoire over 25 years ago, and it has only gotten more beautiful with age… very easy to use as well.
[QUOTE=gumtree;8317607]
There are some really great websites that go into much better detail than I can. Do a search " color dying pine wood".[/QUOTE]
I’m intimately familiar with this topic…I moderate a finishing forum in one of the largest and oldest online woodworking communities. 
The stalls and tack/feed room in my barn are all T&G yellow pine. Pressure treated on the “outside” walls and plain on the inside. After doing a bunch of research and talking to a number of stain/wood preservative type companies I ended up using an Armstrong semi-transparent stain in cedar tone. It added just a hint of reddish color and water beads right off of it. It wasn’t cheap, but it looks great. I have some before/after pictures on my website.
I just want to add that even if you like the look of the plain pine and use a clear protective finish, pine yellows quite a bit as it ages, so be prepared for that.
