What Is a Wiping Stain Finish?
Learn what a wiping stain is, how it’s applied, and its benefits for finished cabinet doors. Is it the right finish for your next project?
If you’ve ever agreed to apply a finish you weren’t familiar with, you know how quickly things can go wrong. Offering a specific finish, like a wiping stain, without understanding the process can lead to costly mistakes like remakes, delays, or even needing new equipment. Misjudging the finish can leave you with dissatisfied clients, extra expenses, and the stress of trying to fix it all.
At Cutting Edge, we’ve spent over 20 years perfecting cabinet door finishes. We understand wiping stains inside and out, having applied them to thousands of cabinet doors. Our team has hands-on experience with both wiping and spray stains, ensuring you get the expert guidance needed to choose the right finish for your project every time.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Wiping Stains Are Wiped On By Hand
Finishers apply wiping stains by hand, typically with a rag or brush. They brush the stain onto the cabinet doors and then remove the excess. This method allows the dye to soak into the wood and highlight its natural grain.
After the stain dries, you must apply at least one coat of sealer. The coat of sealer holds the stain in place and provides the foundation for the top coat. The final coat, a clear lacquer, provides extra durability and the glossy, finished look typical of stained cabinet doors.
While wiping stain finishes might seem straightforward, they have some unique properties worth considering.
Wiping Stain Has Unique Characteristics
One of the most appealing qualities of a wiping stain finish is how deeply it penetrates the wood. This creates a richer, more natural appearance than other finishes. In fact, you can often distinguish a wiping stain from its competitor, spray stains, by looking at the following characteristics.
1. Absorption into Wood Grain
Wiping stains penetrate deep into the wood, soaking into the fibres rather than sitting on top. This allows the stain to enhance the natural grain patterns, creating a more textured and authentic appearance. As a result, wiping stains brings out the rich, organic beauty of the wood that you may not see with other finishes.
2. Marks from Application
Because you apply wiping stains manually, the process can sometimes leave marks from the rag or brush you used. Your customer may consider these marks part of the finish’s charm. However, you should apply the stain evenly and carefully to avoid unwanted blemishes that could detract from the overall look.
3. Better Coverage
One of the biggest advantages of wiping stains is their ability to cover intricate details. Unlike spray stains, which can miss hard-to-reach areas or edges, wiping stains can soak into small crevices and complex profiles. This ability makes them ideal for detailed cabinet door designs, where even coverage is critical to achieving a flawless finish.
Benefits and Drawbacks of a Wiping Stain Finish
Like any finish, wiping stains comes with both advantages and disadvantages. You and your customers should understand both sides before deciding which stain best fits each project.
Benefits of Using a Wiping Stain Finish for Cabinet Doors
Wiping stains have three major benefits:
- Natural Finish. Because the wood absorbs the dyes, a wiping stain creates a deep, rich colour that enhances the natural beauty of the wood.
- Better Coverage. Wiping stains excel in covering areas where spray stains might fall short, like inside profiles and edges. The better coverage achieved by a wiping stain can help prevent unfinished wood from showing up as the cabinet doors move over time.
- More Control. Since you manually apply the stain, you have more control over the final colour and coverage with wiping than spray stains.
Drawbacks of Using a Wiping Stain Finish for Cabinet Doors
However, wiping stains also have drawbacks.
- Visible Application Marks. You can see marks from the rag or brush if you don’t apply the wiping stain evenly. Your customer may expect warranty replacements if this is a noticeable problem.
- Labor-Intensive. Wiping stains require more hands-on time and manual effort than spraying. This could slow down production, especially for large projects.
- Colour Variation. Because wiping stains penetrate the wood differently depending on the grain and type of wood, you may not achieve a perfectly uniform colour across multiple pieces. The resulting colour variation may not always meet customer expectations.
Alternatives to a Wiping Stain Finish for Cabinet Doors
Spray stains may be better for large projects or customers who want a more consistent finish.
Spray Stain Finish
Unlike wiping stains, which you apply manually, you must spray stains using a spray gun. While this method is faster and requires less manual labour, it requires more skill and precision. Without practice and experience, spray stains can be less consistent than wiping stains.
Spray stains rest on the wood, creating a more uniform colour. However, using a spray stain can sometimes result in issues, like less-finished wood along the inside profiles. This ‘shadow line’ occurs because the air pressure from the spray gun causes the stain to bounce off the inside profile and reflect away from the spot where the panel meets the inside profile.
Depending on the stain colour and profiles you choose, this raw wood may be more or less noticeable. You must ask yourself whether the time savings and increased consistency outweigh the potential problems.
Learn How Wiping Stains Compare to Spray Stains
Choosing the right finish for your cabinet doors is essential not only for the result but also for the process involved. If you’re not aware of the nuances of each type of stain, you could end up with unhappy customers, added expenses, or worse – remakes.
Now that you know more about wiping stains, their benefits, and their drawbacks, you might wonder how they compare to other finishes. Learn more about how wiping stains compare to spray stains, and ensure you’re making the best choice for your next cabinet door project.
