Water Based Stains

Send your vote to paint suppliers and learn how to use waterbased stains succesfully.

I started painting houses when I was a fifteen. Working for a high end paint company we had our very specific right ways to do thing and wrong ways. Being brought up in the painting profession this way I have had some opinions that needed to be challenged. Last year I started using water based wiping stains when ever possible. The world didn't end. My customers didn't fire me. In fact a home owner/customer we recently worked for liked the staining job we did with all water based products more than the oil based stain in his previous (identical) house.

Painters, home owners, and paint suppliers give water based stains a chance. It works differently, but I believe that in time you will prefer it.

How to effectively use water Based Stains?
(traditional drawbacks and how to overcome)

1. Waterbased stains Dry quickly sometimes causing overlaping marks.
2. Waterbased stains tend to be more like a glaze then a stain and can cover more then you want creating a one dimensional look.

Some possible Solutions:

1. Use a waterbased pre stain. We have to make our own by thining a waterbased clear coat.
2. The pre stain can be colored to create more depth and take some of the green out as shown below with this poplar door.

Benifits

I recently walked into one of our jobs and could not smell any paint. The whole house was stained and looked great and there was no stain smell. I felt like I could just take a deep breath and feel good about what we had done.

1. Smell
2. Dry Time
3. Water clean up
4. Better work environment