Water-soluble dye stain

Overview

Dye stain colours wood with dissolved colourant rather than suspended pigment, so it is clearer and deeper than pigment stain. Fine Woodworking's guide says aniline dyes come from coal tar and now crude oil, in three groups: acid (water-soluble), basic (alcohol-soluble) and solvent. Water-soluble dyes are the common woodworker's choice: Fine Woodworking reported them as about 70% of Lockwood's sales, odourless and lightfast. Wood Magazine calls water dye the most useful.

Pros

• Clear, intense colour that shows figure.
• Fine Woodworking's lightfastness test (scale 1 to 8) put water powders at roughly 2 to 5. Metallized dyes such as TransTint were roughly 4 to 7. Dark tones are more lightfast.
• Odourless; mixes with water. Dyes in the same solvent can be mixed (Wood Magazine).
• Good for evening up colour and for yellow or amber under-colour beneath a darker stain (General Finishes).

Cons

• Raises grain, so wet the wood first with water, let it dry and sand (Raising the grain).
• Streaks where you overlap. Fine Woodworking: flood the surface and pre-wet.
• Dye has no binder, so a solvent can lift it. Dye fades more than pigment in strong light (Wood Magazine).
• Dye-plus-pigment products can fade unevenly (Fine Woodworking).
• Dye does not seal. A topcoat is required.

Suitability

Excellent on figured woods and for repairing blotchy colour: Black cherry, Hard maple. Use under pigment stain on White oak and Red oak for depth. General Finishes says conditioner is not recommended with its dye; adding 10% of its High Performance topcoat helps on softwood.

Coats and application

1. Raise the grain with plain water, dry, sand (General Finishes: 150 then 220). Use distilled water; a Fine Woodworking cherry recipe notes tap water high in iron can leave black or yellow spots.
2. Mix. Wood Magazine: 1 oz powder per quart of hot (not boiling) water, strain through a coffee filter; a General Finishes TransTint concentrate starts at 1 oz per quart, maximum 3 oz. Weigh the powder; use glass or plastic.
3. Apply a flood coat with the two-brush method. Do not seal first.
4. 1 to 2 coats, 2+ hours between coats (General Finishes). Wood Magazine: dry 24 hours, sand with 320, re-dye if needed, buff with a white Scotch-Brite pad.
5. Seal. Fine Woodworking: an alcohol-based sealer over water dye is fine.
6. Spraying a toner: tip 1.0 to 1.3 mm; dry 20 min on a water or alcohol base (General Finishes). See Toners and shading lacquer.

Example (Fine Woodworking, aged cherry): shellac washcoat, water dye (about 1/2 oz per pint of warm water), then a varnish topcoat.

Compatibility

Alcohol sealers such as Dewaxed shellac work over water dye. Water-based finishes can lift dye if over-brushed (Liberon). Seal end grain with a 1 lb cut of shellac before dyeing (Wood Magazine). See Alcohol and oil-soluble dye stain for the spirit-based type.

Care and repair

Dye cannot be sanded out of a finished surface without leaving a light patch. Touch up with a small amount of dye applied to the bare wood, then reseal. Keep topcoats on to guard against fading.

Safety and environment

Wood Magazine advises eye protection, a respirator and nitrile gloves when handling dye. Store mixed dye airtight and in the dark.

Related

• Pigment vs dye stain explained
• Alcohol and oil-soluble dye stain
• Toners and shading lacquer
• Colour matching and sample boards