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---------------INTERIOR--------------- ADHESION FAILURE AMOUNT OF PAINT BARE WOOD STAINING BASEMENT WALLS BATHROOM BATHROOM STAINING BEST FLOW BLOCKING BOILED LINSEED OIL CABINETS CALCIMINE CALCULATE CAULK CEILING CERAMIC TILE CINDERBLOCK COLOR SELECTION: DOOR EDGES COLOR SELECTION: WALLS; TRIM COLOR: CHANGING TO A NEW COLOR COLOR: COMPLEMENTING GRAYS AND BROWNS COLOR: DECORATING IN CRANBERRY COLOR: ENLIVEN WHITE & BEIGE CONCRETE FLOOR CRACKS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAINT AND STAIN DOORS DRIERS DUCTS, AIR CONDITIONING EDGING TOOLS ENAMEL EPOXY EXTERIOR LATEX PAINT INDOORS FIBERGLASS FILM THICKNESS FIREPROOF FLEXIBLE FLOORS FORMICA FROZEN FURNITURE GARAGE FLOORS GEL STAINS GETTING THE BEST FLOW GRAIN RAISING GYPSUM HOLLOW CORE DOORS INORGANIC KALSOMINE KITCHEN KITCHEN CABINETS LATEX LATEX GLOVES LATEX PAINTS OVER OIL-BASED LEAD LINSEED OIL MAHOGANY MAPLE MASKING TAPE METAL DOORS MIRROR MIXING PAINTS TO GET A LIGHTER COLOR MUDCRACKING NAIL POPS OAK OCHRE ODOR - BLOCKING ODOR FROM PLYWOOD OIL BASED OIL OR LATEX OPAQUE OPEN-GRAIN ORGANIC PAINT PAINT FROZE PAINT THINNER PAINTERS TAPE PANELING PEEL PLASTER POLYURETHANE PRIMING PVA PRIMER QUALITY PAINT: WHICH IS BEST? RADIATORS RAW LINSEED OIL REJUVENATING PAINT REMOVING PAINT FROM DRYWALL REMOVING OLD PAINT ROLLER ROLLER MARKS SEMI-TRANSPARENT STAIN SEPARATED SERIOUS ALERGIC REACTIONS SKINNING: AVOIDING SOLID COLOR STAIN SOLVENT SOUTHWESTERN COLORS SPACKLING SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION SPRAYING SPREAD RATE SQUARE FEET PER GALLON STAIN STICKING STORING PAINT STRAIGHT LINES STRESS CRACKS SURFACTANT LEACHING TEXTURE CEILING THAWED TILE TITANIUM TRIM UMBER URETHANE VOC WALLBOARD WALLPAPER WALNUT WASHING THE WALLS WET BASEMENT WOOD FILLER WOOD FURNITURE, UNFINISHED     

BARE WOOD STAINING

Question
As a contractor, I do a lot of interior bare wood staining and painting. This goes from doors and trim to even fine furniture. Whenever I use a water based product like a primer or stain, I see fibers stick up from the wood. These sometimes ruin the finished appearance, making it very rough. It is particularly bad with some cabinet woods like walnut or mahogany (whether in an old chair or in new high-priced trim). What causes this and what can be done about it?

Answer
This is called "grain raising." The water in the coating swells the fibers and lifts them. The best thing to do is to "preempt" this by wetting the surface with a wet rag before applying the first primer or stain or clear coating. The water will raise the grain. Then come back in 1/2 hour and sand off the raised "whiskers" using fine (#200 or #220) garnet sandpaper. Be sure to sand only in the direction of the grain of the wood, never diagonally or across it at right angles. Then dust off the surface and proceed with the primer or stain, etc. Now, because of the procedure, very little grain will be raised by the application of the coating.