COLOURING & VARNISHING of different woods

Staining is the application of a transparent or covering coat to give fibres in the wood an attractive appearance. As distinct from paintwork and varnish, stain partly penetrates the wood. Hence the fibres and grains in the wood are not covered. We also use also transparent stain in for example two different colours to give the look of different woods. All woods can be stained. With a greater or lesser level of resin, softwoods can cause more problems than hardwoods. It is in any case important that the wood has been properly pre-processed by sanding and the removal of dust and grease. Stain can be applied in different ways: using a brush, spray gun, sponge, cloth, etc. Varnish is applied over a paint or natural material to reduce the influence of light, moisture or moulds. Varnish exists in many forms from high gloss to mat. Houbolak uses two-part varnish (milky varnish). This varnish flows much more smoothly, it is more flexible and dries much faster.