Wood Conditioner

Hello everyone,

I've got a white pine dresser that I've stripped and sanded, and now would like to stain a walnut colour. However, I would like to treat the pine with a wood conditioner so that the stain goes on evenly and I get a nice wood grain effect.

Finding the wood conditioner has been a challenge though! I'm from Canada and it is a very common product to find in hardware stores, but I went to Bunnings yesterday and had a frustrating experience (i.e. no product knowledge from the sales rep in the least). The sales rep ended up calling Feast Watson who basically said there was no such product in Australia, but the Proof Seal and Sanding Sealer were similar. I read the product info for both of these, but they still don't sound like exactly what I'm after. The Feast Watson rep also said that 'Australians just directly stain the pine', which I thought was a bit of a generalization...I'm not going to do that because I'm fairly certain the stain will not distribute evenly (I've tested a sample). I was also told that wood conditioner is only available for outdoor treatment (i.e. garden furniture etc.)

I'm after something like this:

Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner | Preparation

Any recommendations for a product/technique I could use? All suggestions are very appreciated.

A thinned shellac such as U-Beaut's sanding sealer.
SANDING SEALER - Traditional non grain filling sealer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by audisadi

I'm after something like this:

Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner | Preparation

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You can get it from from the importer direct. by mail.


Peter.

Peter - thanks for that supplier link, I didn't know such a wide range of Minwax products was available here.

I've used the Wipe On Poly from Bunnies (about the only Minwax stuff they keep), but there are several other Minwax products I'd be interested in trying if only I could get them. I'll try Globak direct the next time I need anything. :2tsup:

Yes thanks very much Peter. I will definitely be ordering through them and I'm glad to see we've got access to more Minwax products.

Thanks again!

Feast Watson Timber Primer. It's ready to go so you don't need to worry about thinning ratios. And it's avail at bunnings.

You dont want a sanding sealer, as they're designed to fill coarse grain by building a film on the surface. You want something that 100% penetrates and evens out the variable porosity of pine so the stain absorbs evenly.

I use thinned hide glue to prevent blotching on pine/fir. I mix it per instructions and when it is ready for normal use add more hot water until it is very runny. Usually one ouce of glue in one liter hot water. I brush it on and let it dry for 24 hrs. Then lightly sand it and wipe it down with mineral spirits and then stain.
I am not a fan of Minwax products and their wood conditioner in particular. We,my wife and I, first used it on Douglas Fir. The end grain came out the same as the straight grain.

The MinWax product works well.
And I can also recommend Globak. Deal with them regularly.

When staining pine or oregan I use 'Feast and Watson Prooftint Pine Sealer'. use a single coat before staining etc.
Made for the job.
Arron