How to Choose a Wood Stain

Be aware that stain doesn't protect wood; it simply colors it. You'll still need to seal the wood with a varnish, lacquer, shellac or polish.

Look for a transparent or semitransparent stain if you want the wood's grain to be seen.

Choose an opaque stain if you want to hide the grain.

Stain woods for outdoor use with a microporous protective wood stain. Indoor-use stains tend to fade when exposed to the sun for an extended time.

Avoid water-base stains, which are powders that must be mixed and tend to be hard to find. They also take the longest to dry - about 12 hours.

Oil-base dye stains are premixed and are identified by the type of wood they match (cedar, oak, cherry and so on). Don't rely too heavily on the name, though, since different woods absorb stains in different ways. This type of stain dries within an hour.

Select alcohol-base stains for the widest choice of colors. Like water-base stains, these come in powder form and require mixing. This type dries within 5 to 10 minutes and works best with a sprayer rather than a brush.

Hide low-quality wood with a coat of pigment-type stain, which is semiopaque and available in a wide range of colors.

Commit yourself to a wax-base stain - once you put it on, it's there to stay. Because of the wax base, you can't apply any kind of finish over it. Though it looks good for an antique finish, it may not be the best choice.