WOOD STAIN - PIGMENTED VS DYE

If you are not versed in pigmented and dye stains you may be wondering which one to choose. Let's dive a bit deeper to get you the right product for the job.

DYE STAIN

Dye stain is used more often on higher-end woods that aren’t blotchy. It is great for hard, dense woods.  Dye stains are translucent and are designed to penetrate deep into wood, resulting in ultimate grain clarity and chatoyance. On soft woods it can sometimes result in “blotchiness” if a pre-stain is not used. Dye Stain may be brushed, wiped or sprayed. 

Dye Stain is great for mixing into water-based topcoats like High-Performance, to create custom toners. If you decide to mix into a topcoat we recommend adding about 5% Dye Stain to 95% topcoat. Dye Stain can be used as a colored pre-stain underneath pigmented Wood Stain and can also be directly intermixed with other dye stains.

PIGMENTED STAIN

This type of stain is a better choice for blotchy woods and will result in a more even tone color on soft woods. Pigmented Wood Stain will adhere to a properly prepped existing finish without sanding down to raw wood, Dye Stain will not. Pigmented Wood Stain should be brushed on liberally, then have excess wiped back off to properly disperse pigment.