How to Guide

WOOD GUIDE
Mahogany and Rosewood —
These beautiful woods don’t need to be
stained, but they should be treated with
a protective polyurethane finish. When
they do require staining, use an oil-based
stain such as Minwax® Wood Finish™.
Pine, Fir and Cedar — Knots and
blemishes cause these woods to absorb
stain unevenly. Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood
Conditioner will reduce blotchiness.
Poplar — Less expensive than cherry,
poplar can be stained with colors
containing red dyes and pigments
for a faux-cherry look.
Maple — Much like cherry, maple is a
dense, small-pored wood. Staining is
not recommended.
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WOOD GUIDE
How will your wood react to stain?
All woods have two characteristics that determine
their final appearance: their natural color and their
pore size. Because stain is absorbed into the wood, as
opposed to resting on top of it, these two characteristics
determine the final look of the piece aer the stain has
been applied.
Be sure to test stain products in an inconspicuous place
to get an idea of what the final results will look like. This
guide will get you started.
Alder and Aspen — Popular in the
furniture industry, they absorb stains
unevenly. Using Minwax® Pre-Stain
Wood Conditioner will help you work
around this.
Ash and Chestnut — These hardwoods
share many characteristics with oak
and can be treated similarly.
Birch — Oen substituted for maple
because it’s inexpensive, birch does
not absorb stain evenly. Be sure to use
Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
before staining.
Cherry — Small pores and a subtle
grain paern prevent cherry from
absorbing much stain, making it
dicult to change its color. Therefore,
its natural color is preferred.
Oak — Versatile oak absorbs stain easily
and does well with nearly any color.
WOOD SPECIES
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