142 - Understanding and Using Dyes

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Its all about dye, "Wood Whisperer Style". My goal with this video is to grossly simplify the confusing world of dyes, while also giving you the knowledge you need to determine the working characteristics of any dye just by looking at the ingredients list or MSDS. We'll discuss the different types of dyes, how to apply them, and we'll even get into the chemistry behind water-based finishes and a key family of solvents known as glycol ethers. Knowledge is power!
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[@jamesnasmith984]

Bang on between industry and newby. Good use of accurate, simple narration.

[@F0XD1E]

I love finding these time capsule KZbin videos that were all substance, no clickbait or sponsors, and all had the same royalty free music.

[@ZER0MPH]

I always value Marc's videos and insight. One of the best woodworking (and finishing) voices on KZbin. I'm currently listening to the entire catalog of WoodTalk and its a wealth of information. Thank you, Wood Whisperer! 😊

[@jasong1899]

I'm really impressed with the level of detail in this video. Was curious to learn more about dyes versus stains and came away with so much more. Consider me subscribed.

[@watcherdude1330]

I’m glad I had the opportunity to watch and LEARN a TON of things about dyes and how to use them properly. Being new to wood working I TRULY APPRECIATE the time spent making this video. Your very easy to listen to and you explain things the way I like to learn . So thanks so very much.

[@komotion]

Great overview, chock full of practical info and, more importantly, explaining the “why” behind it, how things work. Thank you!

[@tsalter79]

I've been thinking about joining the Guild for sometime now. I watch every episode of the Wood Whisperer and this episode has now made me take that step. Another great show...keep it up Mark.

[@fa18mhr]

The depth of information for this video was spot on. Enough to make informed decisions but nothing down in the weeds to make it onerous to digest.

[@balance_one]

Wow thank you for making this video, it has helped explain some things to this total noob at woodworking. I'm finishing a desk project for myself and have just ordered the dye yesterday. I've used stains before on projects, but nothing of this scale. You've convinced me to apply it with a spray bottle, and the tip to find a decent one with a fine mist spray is great.

[@HellcatCustoms]

This helped me a lot. I've been researching different dyes to use on a Les Paul guitar kit and went with the General Finishes pre-mixed dye stain. It was a little cheaper than TransTint and I don't have to worry about dye/water ratio. Thank you!

[@labtrainer09]

Marc, this tutorial may be "ancient" but it's EXCELLENT, in every respect. I've been advised to use dye (instead of stain) on a new maple cabinet I need to finish, and I was looking for an detailed, thorough, common-sense introduction to these colorants. Your video is that AND MORE. Thanks so much; I now think I'm ready to tackle the job.

[@aok2727]

Same for me. The application part was intimidating and now, I feel prepared

[@danalaniz7314]

Really good explanation. I'm a beginner DIY woodworker and for the last few days, I've been working on learning about stains, dyes, etc. Your explanation and demonstration really helped. Thank you for posting and sharing your knowledge/expertise.

[@mmgross144]

Mark you are a natural at this! Great job once again!

[@timh7156]

Excellent tutorial. Most informative one I’ve seen on wood dyes. Thank you for that.

[@lexconor8498]

What a fantastic, very helpful intro to dyes! Thank you!

[@geolisadrag-racing2349]

Great video I impressed some fairly accomplished woodworkers with the wet down, raise grain, sand down grain technique you demonstrated. THANKS

[@Oak0586]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@aok2727]

Oh my, this is precisely what I needed to explain this application. Thank you

[@woodwhisperer]

@MrLeonard55 Well, you can always watch it multiple times. Its always here for your viewing pleasure.

[@markolson6987]

Wow - thank you. This video is exactly what I needed to answer my questions and get me going!

[@woodwhisperer]

@Mopardude awesome man! Thanks. Glad you like them!

[@blackbirdpie217]

Good video. I could have used this info a few weeks ago when I was using the General finishes stain on a mahogany banjo neck followed by filling the grain for a glass smooth lacquer finish. The grain filler is Crystallac stainable. I had used the older non stainable product, but the Crystalac was pulling the stain out of the wood. None of the products mentioned whether I could seal the wood or not, before using the grain filler. I even called General to ask what was the story with the dye coming up- it was unexpected. You explained it perfectly. They took several days to get back to me with an answer! I ended up using Behlen vinyl sealer on top of the stained bare wood before using the grain filler. It's against my logic but considering the problem I used it with great success. Once the vinyl sealer was on the filler did not solve the stain. I sealed it over the filler to apply the nitrocellulose lacquer. The new problem I have is the stainable crystalac grain filler as it is not drying clear. The old product did, and I Emailed Crystalac directly with no response. I want a good clear grain filler! The difficulties never end.

[@kraftymomma1979]

Lots of great information explained in a way I can understand - thank you! ❤️

[@DebbieFBI]

You really break down the information so we can understand, thank you!!

[@woodwhisperer]

@bernsteine yes and yes. I would definitely pre-raise and sand with 320 and a water bottle can definitely help distribute the dye over a large area quickly. Just spray and wipe the excess.

[@Mopardude]

Your vids on finishing are some of the best vids in my opinion.

[@par5endos562]

Glad to see another video. You are a brave soul doing a dye video with a white shirt!

[@sms9106]

Almost 10 years old but still very relevant and very informative.

[@kenstewart687]

Great video Mark. Thank you. I always save your videos for future reference.

[@kkluber1]

Excellent!!! Thanks so much for just the right amount of information. Also love the William NG T shirt....

[@kmneville1]

Thank so so much! This video was excellent for a first time user of dyes!

[@BlueLineofthesky]

I really love your videos. I learn so much.

[@woodwhisperer]

@aDotFromTheFuture To me, a stain is a generic term for anything we use to color wood. And that can be a dye, a pigment, or a combination of the two.

[@woodwhisperer]

@NoblestoftheLIONs that sounds reasonable to me. You can actually save a step if you use something like General Finishes dye. They have some binder in the mix so you can go right from the dye to the gel stain and skip the shellac. As for time periods, you can coat over the dye as soon as its dry to the touch. I'd let the stain sit overnight before top-coating.

[@harveygoodman8078]

Very good and informative video! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@JPEBeard]

I really wanted to see a video on different ways to apply transtint!!!

[@ThriftDiving]

I learned a LOT from this video about dyes. Question: I've just built a DIY bathroom vanity from red oak and now I've come to the part where I'm dreading: ruining it because I couldn't get the finishing right. I'd like to keep it as natural as possible, but use a liming wax to whiten and "highlight" the grain for a weathered oak look. Is there a dye that's really light? Or a way to create a nice even color similar to dye without having to go "full-blown" dyed color? Thanks for your help! Anxious woodworker over here. LOL. New subscriber, too!

[@woodwhisperer]

@fenderpaman16 Yup. They might apply the dye by spraying, but I have done it by hand in the past and its a fun process.

[@joshuecker4996]

Great video, thank you for the info. Im starting to use TransTint for the time...

[@jsburklow]

I just wanted to say thanks very much for the video (ok all the videos!!) I went ahead and bought the earlex HVLP sprayer after watching your review now i know how the cave man felt when he discovered the wheel!!! Thanks again Marc for all your insight it has made me a better woodworker i hope to be joining the guild soon.

[@waelkambris6188]

Finally…a clear explanation to wood dyes. Thank you

[@carolriley569]

Thanks for all the helpful info!

[@charlesandrewmoore8699]

fantastic and deeply infomative. subscribed!

[@danielludmerer4936]

empower= give us the knowledge to make our own decisions. Thank You!

[@woodwhisperer]

You might look into some of the Transtint and General Finishes Water Based Dyes. Both should have a few bright primary colors for you to check out. As for gloves, I'd recommend using them. Most dye solutions also have chemicals in the mix. Not something you really want on your hands.

[@briandcare1]

You are a true professional at this craft. If you got hired on to a crew of professional painters you would be an all star. It's a dying art.

[@coppulor6500]

I would love to see staining videos using woods that are a pain in the rear like pine and cedar. Seems a lot easier to demonstrate on woods with a tighter grain unless variability and density. Thanks for a great video 👍

[@woodwhisperer]

Well, problems can arise from a lot of different things, especially when staining pine. So it's hard to say. But that finish combination, in theory, should work. You might look into using a wood conditioner before the stain though since blotching will be an issue. Look into Charles Neil's blotch control.

[@POOKIE5592]

Thank you, Marc!

[@stevenjepsen5153]

Very useful video, thank you.

[@Andluth]

I like to raise the grain with denatured alcohol. It costs more but swells the grain and dries really fast. Thanks for the videos!

[@rehabbychris974]

@The Wood whisper, thank you for the tutorial. I have cherry cabinets that I want to match my room doors too I bought poplar wood doors, so the grain is a little tighter. My oak doors turned out terrible. I have one of our paint, stain stores mixed a close color. My thoughts were to apply with a sprayer and then use a dye to tone it to get closes then clear. Does this sound about right? I do not want the grain to take most of stain so I would water first like you did?

[@BEasay]

Great video, thank you!

[@woodwhisperer]

Green dye and a lacquer finish. Transtint is a concentrated dye that comes in green and you can make your own dye solution and apply it to the wood. From there, you can spray one several coats of lacquer. Now this will indeed create a shiny film. But with dye on the surface, a film is a good thing. Non-film finishes won't really protect the color and you will most likely wear through the dye.

[@5.5_F]

Just wow ❤ thank you so much 🙏🏼

[@woodwhisperer]

Mostly. But keep in mind if you are rubbing aggressively, it could still pull up some color. So I like to apply a light coat of diluted varnish with a gentle touch. Once that first coat dries, you can begin to be a bit more aggressive with the surface.

[@woodwhisperer]

Honestly, I don't work much with softwood, but you can certainly get decent results. Always test on scraps and then strategize what you might need to do to solve any potential issues that creep up such as blotching.

[@bryancampbell9312]

Great Video...Can you spray lacquer sealer over the General Finishes Dye - then top coat with lacquer?

[@woodwhisperer]

@tsalter79 excellent! The guild is much more "project-focused" these days. But the detail and quality is unmatched. Only disadvantage is you have to look at my face more. :) But overall I think you'll really enjoy it.

[@VinnyjojoFish]

Great video. Thanks

[@DrGarri]

This guy is awesome! Just the facts Ma'am!

[@Moffit366]

Oh jeese this is an oldie but a goodie.

[@stevensonramsburgh278]

Great videos, Marc. I was wondering if you can do a wet sand with your first coat of finish - say with 600grit -- over wood you have dyed? would or could it disturb the uniformity of the dye?

[@gregbrooks9546]

I bought a old 1940's home and pulled up the old carpet and it had pine or spruce wood floors that were that orange colored fruitwood look on them. Just wanted to know if you had any recommendations on how I can sand and refinish the floor to make it look like real walnut. I was going to pull the carpet up thinking it had plywood under the carpet but found the pine tung and grooved floor instead. I thought it was a waste to pull all that flooring up to install the walnut floor so thought you might be able to help.

[@AndrewGuttell]

Great video (as usual)! For sanding preparation in general do you have any thoughts on random orbital vs. hand sanding? What about for the grain raising sand in particular? I am making a tiger maple table.

[@wedfrest]

Cool video, nicely done! So how would you go about preventing blotching on birch when using water based dyes? Pre condition? Thanks

[@schuylerashton813]

Baby Marc is adorable

[@mikev1766]

Great video! I have been learning a lot from reading your articles and watching you videos. I have a similar question as @skidude04...what about applying dye stains to Maple? What if I would apply a coat of seal coat before staining? Or...should I consider making a toner by mixing the dye stain with a high performance poly? Thank you!!!

[@dylanrott9956]

solid videos man Bless up

[@woodwhisperer]

@griiiiiiiiiin I honestly don't know the chemistry behind that paint. But like any other finish or paint, I'd recommend cleaning the brush with hot soapy water after use. I wouldn't recommend using mineral spirits on the brush at all as that could leave residue behind.

[@craigroy5317]

Great vid. A lot of useful info thanks. Question.. I want to finish a mahogany guitar with open grain but color the grain a slight darker color. Then complete by a wipe on poly satin finish. What would be the process to apply the dye into the grain but not the wood top surface?

[@nicknelson3006]

Great video! Would love to know if there is a good resource that gives the recipe for different dye combos. You used the bron and orange combo here, but is there a good source to use that shows the result before one starts playing around?

[@mumkitty]

This tutorial SAVED ME. Well, it saved my Douglas fir posts and gluelam beams from being ORANGE. I used the General Finishes stain in white as a base to take the orange out and layered Antique Oak on top. The result is a light cool brown that matches all the cabinetry in the room which is Ash. I only tested it so far on some scraps. Any advice on how long to wait between the two step process? Thanks so much!

[@diversify210]

I know this is an old video, but I have a couple questions. Would you need to do the same pre-grain raising on plywood? Also is dye stain a good idea for blotchy woods like birch?

[@muchimi]

thanks this is excellent. I just put applied a layer of yellow from general. I'd seen another video where a layer of shellac was used between the yellow and then the walnut, for the walnut counter I made and then a top coat to seal it all before polishing. I also have to decide what to do about the worm holes and one knot. Fill with epoxy? or ??? or leave them. Wish I could send you pics of what I've done so far. thanks for all the info your posting

[@woodwhisperer]

I imagine any number of dye formulations would work for this but I'd probably just go with straight denatured alcohol. As for finish coat, lacquer is a good traditional finish for a musical instrument and should look awesome.

[@wisamhamoui]

Thanks for a very informative video! Are Transtint and General Finishes Dye Stain safe for children toys (or for use in the kitchen)?

[@MrEyesof9]

You definitely covered the "what" quiet well, and to be fair, I may have just missed the "where and when" parts of the story. but If it is missing then.. when would you choose dye over stain, or, if, when or where would you use both?

[@louisebelanger3966]

Thank you for this wonderful exposé. What binder would you recommend for the dye if the finishing is 50/50 Tung and Citrus solvent. Is a binder necessary in this case.

[@RubberDuc]

Excellent video as always! I would love to hear your thoughts on dyes vs. stains. I've been woodworking my whole life but was always worried about putting dye/stain on black walnut (almost the only wood I use besides figured maple). Even though I love black walnut the most I've never been totally happy with the natural danish oil color especially as it lightened over the years, even though it is beautiful. I recently had a project where I needed the wood dark so I tried staining first, lightly with a Koa stain and it turned out absolutely amazing with a rich dark finish to the walnut instead of the natural walnut. Wish I would have got the nerve years ago to try it :(

[@RM-en9gk]

If using pine wood should i pre condition wood before applying water base dye for a uniform color or use a sanding sealer first after dried then apply Dye in top of it? Im a first timer very confused

[@bpchaser]

I purchased J.E. Moser's version of the powder dyes as well as Waterlox for an oil base finish. Any issues here? It did worry me a bit to see the overlapping strokes showing up quite a bit with the water base. I think I want to avoid that as it's a dining table. Thanks The Wood Whisperer

[@billythekidpi]

I'm working a wooden bed frame and for the finish I'm thinking about staining the wood then putting a thin coat of shellac over it then put some coats of poly on do you think there will be any problems by the way the wood is pine.

[@thiswoodwork]

Is that the old assembly table you are working on Mark?

[@NorthsideDentalCareBellingham]

A good tip for those who have ever experienced the problem of the dye, or in some cases the resins of dark exotic woods (purpleheart for example), BLEEDING into the topcoat or a light colored wood adjacent to the dye/dark wood. You can seal the wood with a very thin coat of epoxy (West Systems is excellent), prior to building up the topcoat. The epoxy has not solvents to activate the dye or pull the resins from the dark exotic woods. It also acts as a grain filler, as it is non-evaporative, and self-levels as it cures.

[@woodwhisperer]

yes that's correct.

[@supermetaltastic]

I appreciate the detail. Im refinishing fully stripped maple columns that support a porches roof. I tried a white arborcoat semi-solid alkyd linseed oil stain on a test piece sanded in sections with different grits. One section 80 another 220. It failed to penetrate the wood even after sitting for 50 minutes. It just wiped right off with almost no effect. Can dyes be used in an exterior application? I wanted to initially use stain so there would be no peeling paint to scrap and to easy refinishing every 4 years. Would dye meet my needs? Does the shellac sealing coat peel and require sanding before refinishing?

[@dariuszpiwonski5324]

Hi I've clean my wood with white spirit after sanding and I'm not sure now if it was a right decision?

[@baltazarmtzgalla]

should i use dyes or pigments, i tend to put varnish, don't know what brand to get, transtint, transfast, mixol, any help would be appreciated, thanks

[@johnmorgan4960]

Can I get a cheat sheet!? Lots of good info, thank you!

[@darkktur88]

i love dying flame birch ! Can you dilute dye disolved in alcohol with distilled water ?

[@anthonysclafani3963]

+The Wood Whisperer does Keda dye (aniline dye I think) fade over time? What causes dyes to fade? Will dyes still fade if you seal it with tru oil?

[@daniel9371]

Hello I have some yellow oak cabinets looking to tone down. Do you think I can add trans-tint to minwax waterbased polycrylic without any issue?

[@artmercado1735]

great vid, very informative, can I use mineral oil or mineral spirits as a sealer?

[@woodwhisperer]

@trumpet190 Seriously? That's awesome! Good luck!

[@Rev22-21]

So realizing this video is 8+years old now I'd like to ask a question. I'm refinishing an piece of antique furniture and after removing it's old dead and faded finish I attempted to restain it after applying a cut shellac to even things out. But there are several different species of wood used, and though beautiful...I have several different colors of finish now + a few new veener pieces also) . But rather than completely stripping it again (other than a light sanding to tac), I'm considering a simple seal coat of either lacquer or shellac and starting over . Will using the dye method directly on my new seal coat and then applying my finish coats on that be the way to go? Thanks. Enjoy your work .

[@razmossis]

Hi. I have a set of concentrated water based wood dyes (not powder). It recommends that I use 10% dye to 90% water for use. But since I'm using this on a guitar and want to keep as much water out as possible, would it be okay to use alcohol instead of water?

[@talelbelkhodja473]

Thank you really useful!! :)

[@stopthelies3973]

Can you recommend a good brown for walnut that can be used at different strengths to achieve different shades of brown. On occasion I have to refinish (or touch up if I am repairing scratches) something on a very dark walnut piece. However, the norm is a range of lighter shades of browns. I typically use an orange base if the shade is a lighter brown . Any good suggestions so I don't have to buy more than one brown? I use water and alcohol base dyes.

[@jimshaver898]

Great video, thank you. A question, can I apply an oil based clear coat directly to a Transtint or Transfast finish? Thanks