Staining Techniques
This was a fun little video to make. You can see all the energy and movement required to stain a piece of furniture. To get great stain work you have to be careful and thorough.
There are a variety of techniques to use when applying stains.
Sometimes we brush on the stain and do not back wipe it at all. In that case the brush out of the wood stain must be meticulously even. You cannot leave visible brush marks but you are trying to leave a thin layer of stain laying on the surface of the wood.
Other times we wipe or brush the stain on and then use a rag to rub down the surface. This lightens the surface to a more glowing presentation. Stains can be intermixed to obtain the color you want and they can be thinned to reduce pigment concentration as well. Just thin with whatever the can says to use for that purpose – paint thinner for oil based stains and water for latex stains.
I do not recommend dye stains for amateur use.