Have you ever walked into a kitchen or into a room with hardwood floors and noticed that it just looked, well, great? Homes with extensive wooden fixtures or flooring are made more aesthetically pleasing when they incorporate a quality stain finish over their wooden materials. Staining is a common way to ‘finish’ wooden elements to make them more durable, physically attractive, and stylish. While staining is a common element in the home improvement and construction industries, too often people don’t have a clear understanding as to what exactly the process entails. Today, we are going to highlight what staining is, the benefits of a stain finish, as well as how you should choose any stain colors for your home.
A Complete Overview of Stain Finishes
Let’s start our discussion by circling our wagons around the definition of staining. We touched on this concept in our opening paragraph and now we can dig a little bit deeper into the topic. Staining is, for all intents and purposes, one of the most common and effective finishing processes in the home construction and home improvement industry. Staining isn’t exclusive to floors or cabinets as we posited above. In fact, staining can be done on anything wooden: from floors and cabinets to decks and stairs.
Your stain is applied to your wood of choice as you enter the finishing process. The process of staining requires you to layer your wooden material with the stain of your choice. The stain will seep into the wood to offer a host of physical and aesthetic benefits. Depending on the type of wood that you are working with, you’ll need to be particular with your stain choice. Different types of wood will require different types of stain to maximize the benefits.
Choosing a Stain Color
Now that we know a bit about staining as a process, we can shift our discussion toward talking about the different color choices that you have. Your color choices will be dependent on the style of wood that you are working with and the type of environment that you are looking to create in your home. Stain can help bring out reddish hues in your wood or you can even opt for bright colors, thus pulling in a more upbeat theme.
Benefits of Proper Staining
We know that staining your wood helps to improve the physical appearance of the material. Stain will give your wood a glossy finish that makes your un-stained wood look dull by comparison. The most obvious benefit of staining your wood is that you’ll see a physical change in the qualities of the material, yet this isn’t the only benefit. Stain also acts as a sealant which means that your wood is going to be protected in a variety of different ways. From limiting scratches to preventing water damage, staining can help you extend the lifespan of your wood while looking good at the same time.