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The Wood Stain Mistakes That'll Result
In Blotchy Kitchen Cabinets
By A. R. HOPKINS
When your newly stained cabinets look blotchy or patchy, it means that the wood did not evenly absorb the stain that was applied, which may be a result of several staining errors.
If your cabinets are made from softwood like pine or cedar, they may absorb stain unevenly and are more suitable for painting. In comparison, hardwoods like oak stain evenly.
If your hardwood cabinets absorb stain unevenly, you may not have thoroughly sanded them before staining to remove nooks and crannies where excess stain can hide.
It's also important to treat the wood with a pre-stain conditioner. Allow the wood to absorb the conditioner first, increasing the chances that the stain will be absorbed evenly.
Once the wood has been conditioned, apply stain using long strokes that cover the surface end-to-end, as staining small sections makes you more likely to create overlap lines.
Finally, wipe away excess stain after the specified stain time. Otherwise, darker splotches will form where the excess stain has dried.