{"id":1611,"date":"2020-12-09T10:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T15:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/?p=1611"},"modified":"2024-02-28T16:29:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T21:29:53","slug":"stain-dry-time-before-wiping-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/stain-dry-time-before-wiping-off\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long To Let Stain Dry Before Wiping Off (+ Pictures!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Have you ever wondered how long you should let the stain dry before wiping it off? Well, I did too, so I decided to run a little experiment to help me better answer that question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found exactly how long you should let the stain dry before wiping it off to get the exact color shade you want from my experiment. Here is what I found: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apply and wipe the stain off immediately for a light color shade. Let the stain dry for 5-10 minutes before wiping off for a medium color shade. Let the stain dry for 20-30 minutes before wiping off for a dark color shade.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that I\u2019ve fully tested my theory, I never have to worry about whether I\u2019m letting the stain sit for too long to get the shade that I want for my wood project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, I broke down my findings and how I ran the test (I even used 4 different stain colors!), so you can determine which shade and stain dry time is best for your next wood project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To test how long you should let the stain dry before wiping off, I sanded down and sectioned off a piece of pinewood into 16 different areas using painter\u2019s tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal was to apply various colors of stain to each section and time how long the stain sat on the wood before wiping off to get a clear answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For my test, I used my favorite stain, Varathane Fast Dry, in the colors Early American, Dark Walnut, Ebony, and Weathered Gray.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I love <\/strong>this Varathane stain found at Amazon<\/a> because it can be recoated in an hour (which beats the standard Varathane wood stain recoat time of 2 hours), and it gives a rich color in one coat. I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t have time to wait around for multiple coats of stain to dry forever before moving on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, that 1 hour recoating time helps us determine when the entire project will be ready for a coat of polyurethane, but that doesn\u2019t help us determine how long to let the stain sit on the wood before wiping off to get the desired color that we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where my experiment will help you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the results that I found.<\/p>\n\n\n\nQuick Navigation: Length Of Time For Stain To Sit Before Wiping Off<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Stain Color Drying Time Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n