How to Do Wood Stain Indoors

Introduce plenty of air flow into your work area. Turn on fans or open windows. Air flow provides adequate ventilation as you work on your project. Avoid staining in overly hot or stagnant areas of your home.

Put on thick yet flexible cleaning gloves and a face mask. This keeps your skin safe and provides extra protection against fumes.

Prepare the surface by removing any previous paint, dirt or finishes. Sand down the surface with the appropriate sandpaper. For example, if you plan on staining and refinishing a piece of wooden furniture, you would use coarse sandpaper. Coarse sandpaper features 40/60 grit, which works well in eliminating paint, dirt and finishes.

Dust the surface off thoroughly with a dust mop or rag and look for any cracks or holes that need filling. Fill the holes appropriately with wood filler. Follow the directions of the wood filler accordingly and let dry.

Sand the surface once more to get the filler flush with the rest of the wood. Rub medium sandpaper in the direction of the wood grain. Rub the sandpaper on the surface until the surface is completely smooth.

Thoroughly eliminate any sanding dust from the surface. Wipe down the surface with a clean, dry rag or dust mop.

Coat the surface of the wood with a pre-stain conditioner. Pre-stain conditioner helps even out your stain as you apply it and also helps eliminate blotchy areas on the wood. Dip a paintbrush in your pre-stain and coat the surface by running the paintbrush across the wood in a smooth, even stroke. Repeat as you cover the surface. Keep the paintbrush going in one direction. Do not flip-flop your paint brush while applying the conditioner. Wipe off any excess conditioner with a clean, dry rag. Let the conditioner sit for the appropriate amount of time per the instructions.

Apply the stain on top of the pre-stain. Dip a clean, dry paint brush or rag into your stain. Wipe off the excess stain from the paintbrush. Apply the stain in smooth, even strokes in the direction of the wood grain until you completely cover the surface. Let the stain sit for the appropriate amount of time per the product instructions. Wipe off excess stain with a clean rag. Apply a second coat as needed. Let the stain dry per the product instructions.