Unlike painting walls, staining interior wood isn't straightforward. From whether you need to sand your project before you stain to whether you're using hardwood or softwood, knowing these crucial elements will ensure your project turns out the way you envisioned. 

For the best results and to get the full payoff of your new stain, you should always sand the previous finish off before staining furniture. Ultimately, you want to get the surface as even as possible and remove any imperfections on the top layer. Sanding to a smooth even surface is especially important for refinishing furniture. If you over sand in one area over another, you can disrupt the color layer, causing a patchy, uneven stain in places. Sanding your finished floors is another project that requires completely removing the finish to even out damaged sections.

Of course, you need to sand any raw wood projects and any piece that has been stripped with materials that have raised the grain. Lastly, sand any wood to remove glue, embedded wax or stearates.

Next, you'll need to determine if you have hard or softwood. Find out what type of wood you have with the fingernail test. You have a softwood if your fingernail dents the surface when you scratch it. Since softwoods absorb stain unevenly, pretreat the wood using Minwax® Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner before staining. This extra step will help you control stain color penetration and prevent blotchiness.

• Hardwoods – oak, maple, mahogany, cherry (a soft hardwood), walnut, teak, poplar 
• Softwoods – pine, cedar

Choosing a stain color isn't as simple as choosing paint. The finished color is determined by how long the stain is left on, the wood's original color, and even the wood species. Remember, different species of wood absorb stains differently. Softwoods absorb stains unevenly, as do maple, cherry and poplar. Gel stains offer the best results when working with these types of woods.

To get a glimpse of the final stain color on a project, test the color on an inconspicuous area before staining the most visible parts of your project.

Now that you know what to consider when starting a stain project, let's prep the wood for stain. 

Remove all hardware from your project, including hinges. If you're staining a mirror, mask it with tape if it can't be removed. 

Whether you're restaining wood furniture or raw wood, always clean the surface before sanding it. Any dirt, grime or oils on the surface can gum up your sandpaper, causing uneven sanding and using more sandpaper than needed.

Clean your wood surfaces with either mild dish soap and warm water or vinegar and warm water mixture. For more stubborn dirt, use mineral spirits and a tack cloth. Allow the wood to dry before sanding. It should take between 30 minutes and a couple of hours for the wood to dry fully. 

To properly prepare wood for staining, it must be dry and cleaned of dirt, grease, wax, polish, marks and old finishes.

Start with a medium grit of sandpaper, between 100 and 150 grit, to address any large nicks and built-up finish. Continue using medium grit sandpaper until you've removed the majority of scuffs and buildup.

Switch to fine-grit sandpaper, 180-220 grit, to remove smaller blemishes and even out the wood surface. Sand in the direction of the grain for a smooth, uniform finish. 

Wipe down your sanded furniture or another surface with a paintbrush or dry tack cloth to remove residual dust. Go back over the surface with a mixture of dish soap and warm water to remove any remaining dust. Lastly, vacuum your project space to remove dust and prevent it from getting into your stain. Allow the wood to dry completely before staining.

Once you've prepped your project, you're ready to stain! If you need more expert advice or supplies to get started, your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store has everything you need to achieve professional-looking results.