How to Stain Plywood for Your Next DIY Home Improvement Project

Plywood is one of the most versatile and cost-effective building materials, and as a result, it is also one of the most popular. So many home DIY projects involve the use of this type of wood, and in order to give it a finished look, most turn to stain.
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​Those interested in DIY home improvement projects may be familiar with using plywood as a substrate or structural wood where the finish is not a factor. However, left without a finish, the wood can quickly weather away.
Preparing Your Plywood for Staining
​1. Use Wood Filler to Fill Holes
2. Sand and Wipe Your Plywood
3. Apply a Sealer (Optional)
​Step One: Select​ Your Stain
​Wood stains come in two types: water based stain and oil based stain. Generally speaking, here are the main characteristics of each:
Water based stains
Easy clean up with water
Quicker drying time
Best for smaller surfaces
​Oil based stains
​- Longer clean up with solvent
​- Extended drying time
​- Ideal for larger surfaces
Liquid stains
​- Simple and quick to apply
​- Limited control of finished look
Better used on larger surfaces
​Gel stains
​- Slower to apply to surface
​- More control over finished look
​- Ability to fix imperfections
More difficult to use on larger surfaces
Step Two: Stain​ Your Plywood
​1. For a liquid stain, apply the first coat, using long and even strokes. If you’re using a gel stain, instead apply the first coat with a cloth, rubbing the gel into the wood evenly as you go along​. ​In either case, wipe the stain off before it dries on the plywood.
​2. Let the first coat dry. With a water based stain, the drying time is typically only a few hours. However, with a oil based stain, you’ll need to let it dry overnight.
​3. Before applying a second coat, examine the plywood for both coloring and dryness. Applying subsequent coats will help to darken the coloring, along with potentially applying additional richness to the color and grain.
​4. Do not sand between coats of stain. The only sanding you have left to do is at the very end, once all the staining is done ​and you’ve applied a finish.
5. Once you’re satisfied with the color, you can wipe the wood with a tack cloth again and apply a coat of finish like polycrylic or polyurethane. ​
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[@brandonpeterson1448]

Thanks for the lesson brother! You're helping a 26 year old finish the lessons his dad couldn't. Dad passed recently but he'd say from Heaven "now pay attention son, this guy knows what he's talking about." I'm subscribing for more! 👍

[@SawsHub]

Touching, thanks for sharing. Best of luck

[@draftkat]

Came here to learn how to stain. Learned how to not burn my garage down 👍

[@Rosk03]

Blotchiness on plywood staining brought me here... ! Glad to hear there is a fix to this problem!

[@SawsHub]

Great!

[@jaredwaters4633]

What’s the fix? I didn’t hear him mention it

[@jujitzujesus]

Fantastic! Concise and to the point! Just the explanation that I’ve been looking for!

[@thebaconsonful]

Came searching because my staining is always blotchy amd am nearing staining a project, never heard of gel stains before but after seeing the results I think I need to shop around to find some.

[@SawsHub]

Gel stain is def worth a try!

[@yogone7681]

it's very relaxing to hear you talk

[@SawsHub]

Oh thank you!

[@chrisweiner4112]

Thnk so much, your tricks make me feel better to build diy plywood jobs in weekend

[@SawsHub]

Glad to hear that!

[@DrOcKa20]

Such great information. Thank you!

[@erswain1]

Very informative. Thank you. And, GREAT tip about the spontaneous combustion; I had no idea!!!

[@faizakhan5805]

Love the way you explain, thank U

[@SawsHub]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jennylee5003]

I dry out my stain towels and put dryer lint and these rags into toilet paper tubes… they are great fire starters for camping

[@MrRickoscar]

Thanks for the tips.

[@SawsHub]

No problem!

[@michebre]

Thanks so much. Very informative.

[@Broadmaynewood]

Thank you very informative.

[@SawsHub]

Glad it was helpful!

[@djchipy305]

Great info!

[@mariojhorge23]

Another good lesson.

[@SawsHub]

Thanks again!

[@chrissymalloy5948]

Great tips!!! Thank you

[@SawsHub]

You are so welcome!

[@edgargreene2406]

, hey I am doing a table in black flat stain and need to know what I can seal it with to keep the flat black look. You know how kids are when they're eaten cereal and spill their milk on top of the table, I want to make sure I can clean it up without staining

[@CHIMP1234]

You've saved my dresser top. Gel stain it is! Thank you!

[@SawsHub]

Fantastic!

[@NewsNowFortWorth]

very imformative thanks

[@SawsHub]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fireworxz]

Thanks

[@hawk318a7]

How to stop wood filler from bleeding Tru stain

[@AnonymousAmyMakes]

The plywood that I bought, it soaked the stain up immediately. There was none to wipe off.

[@djcanttame5985]

Thank u

[@SawsHub]

No problem

[@prajaktashivarkar7019]

Which are those stain colors?

[@jessicaalvis7063]

What Color was the gel stain? ❤

[@DanHeilman1]

great video

[@mrlegobrick]

When you say you cannot recover... i messed up 😂

[@ErikBishoff]

Thanks for this! My "like" bumped you to 1000 for this vid. I've been wanting a video just like this as a new DIY-er. I'm about to work on my first set of drawers and this info on gel vs "traditional" did the trick! I'll be using gel. :-)

[@popeye5989]

Very interesting! Thank you soo much! Is there a way to and some sort of varnish afterwards to give it a nice shine?

[@Bo_Lew]

Very informative! Two questions, in case you happen to see this: 1) Would that gel stain (Minwax cherry, right?) work well on Baltic birch plywood? 2) I was planning to use Minwax Polycrylic over the stain--do you recommend this?

[@KRC-es1xi]

Do you know what colour gel stain you used in this video? Thank you.

[@joshdoyle8212]

Would we need a sealant coat after the stain dries with the gel stain? Thank you! Great video

[@SawsHub]

Gel stain is not a finish, its a coloration. So, you need to put some sort of top coat on top of it. You could put a sealant coat on it but a top coat would seal it as well.

[@zebatov]

Just Google “top coat”. Minwax makes some as well I believe.

[@lydiahatfield5441]

Thank you very much for this useful video. I do not want to cause undue concern, but I hope you've spoken to your doctor about the skin damage on your forearm.

[@happyfrogdecor2864]

How does a gel stain compare to a pre-conditioner and a oil base stain application?

[@SawsHub]

The gel stain is a one step application. It also really does a nice evening job on color. I think it would be far superior from the pre-conditioner and oil based stain.

[@jeffsstuff6575]

Glad I watched this before staining my plywood. Going to use Gel Stain for sure. I'm planning to use Birch plywood as the top for a hall tree bench. I want to add a 1x4 trim around the edge to hide the side of the plywood and then stain them both to match. my questions are: 1) Would pine, poplar or maple be a good choice to use for the trim piece to closely match the Birch plywood when stained? 2) How would you recommend finishing these pieces to provide a durable topcoat that will resist wear from us sitting on it to put our shoes on? I'm going to paint the rest of the hall tree. Thanks for your help!

[@SawsHub]

1. No, use birch. 2. Polyurethane (if you don't mind a little bit of yellowing)

[@vietnamvet6474]

Couldn't you put Wood Conditioner on first?

[@brittneyharward527]

Thank you for all the tips! Can you tell me what color of gel stain you used in this video? It’s beautiful!

[@SawsHub]

Minwax Cherry Wood Gel Stain

[@rolandwesley3720]

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[@tylerzain482]

@Roland Wesley instablaster ;)

[@rolandwesley3720]

@Tyler Zain thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Takes quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@rolandwesley3720]

@Tyler Zain It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thank you so much, you saved my account!

[@davidroman1654]

Considering using plywood cut into strips for shiplap look in a bathroom. Wood I need to put some type of sealant over the stain to water proof?

[@SawsHub]

Yes, given that you're working in a bathroom, there is constant moisture (and potential for water). You definetly want to put a sealant over the stain.

[@PrinceCharm05]

Thanks very much for knowledgeable and informative videos. I am pretty new to untreated woods and all. I recently purchased 60' x 30" x 1.25" Birch butcher block for my sit-stand table top. It's arriving in a couple of days. My question is should I use stain or butcher block oil? Also, does stain comes in clear color or if I want little darker shade should I use stain? Does Butcher block mineral oil change the color of the wood? Second part, should I use Polyurethane or Lacquer or oil based conditioner to seal it? Last, but not least if I use mineral oil it will stain and seal both or I have to use it stain and then, oil? Thanks very much.

[@dunlopgp10]

What method do I use to stain 4 x 8 sheets of luan ?

[@tomstamm6686]

can you show me how to refinish a plywood side panel?

[@SawsHub]

We'll add it to the list!

[@LawffleCopter]

Do you have any advice on wiping off sawdust from birch ply? I have tried wiping it off with a damp microfiber cloth and tack cloth but with both methods, I end up leaving tiny pieces of fiber in the grain as they get snagged. I sanded down to a 320 grit and I still have to problem.

[@SawsHub]

Have you tried "raising the grain" before you sand with 320? Apply a damp (but not wet) cloth across the entire surface and let it dry, then sand again with 320, and then try the damp microfiber cloth and tack cloth. In my experience, that should solve your problem.

[@Goozoo965]

Me sitting here thinking of the bin full of paper towels soaked in gel stain.

[@Hotled1944]

Pre stain conditioner!

[@keylalive952]

I tried pre stain conditioner and it was still blotchy. However I applied it with the grain not the way he applied the gel stain. I’m wondering if I applied the preconditioner with and against the grain, proceeded by the gel stain it will eliminate the blotchy all together. Have you had any experience with that?

[@riremuyi2900]

Hi Dear, I living in a old house, the cabinet is plywood and stained probably 40+ years ago. I want to restain again, how can I do it? Any advice is great appreciated. Thank you,

[@SawsHub]

This isn't a video on re-staining. The normal way to re-stain is to sand down the current finish a bit and then put down new stain. With plywood, though, if you sand very much, you will sand through the top layer (bad). Sand VERY lightly by hand and apply new stain.

[@hippo-potamus]

So how do you prevent or correct blotchiness in liquid stain? Should we all just switch over to gell and never buy liquid again?

[@SawsHub]

As you suggest, the easiest way to prevent blotchiness in the stain is to use a gel stain instead of a liquid stain. A second way to deal with it is to precede the liquid stain with a “washcoat” to partially seal the wood and keep the stain from penetrating too easily. Thus it ill penetrate more uniformly. A washcoat is the name given to a thinned finish. For shellac finishes, use a 1 lb cut of shellac as a washcoat. For lacquer finishes use lacquer thinned with an equal amount of lacquer thinner. For varnish finish, mix 1 part varnish with 2 parts mineral spirits. For water based finishes use 2 parts water with 1 part finish as a washcoat.

[@TVV-04]

Does the type of ply matter? Example Birch or Marine grade? Thanks for making this video very helpful!

[@SawsHub]

The better the plywood, the better the stain will look. Generally hard wood takes stain better than softer woods.

[@TVV-04]

@@SawsHub Excellent, thanks for the reply! (No pun intended)

[@sheryl3462]

I have tried going all the way to a 600 grit paper and my plywood still wants to feather.

[@milanzane]

very informative video and tips - thanks! I have a question: I have maple plywood wainscoting that has been treated with tung oil (two coats about 10 years ago) I would like to darken the plywood with a gel stain. Can I use gel stain over the tung oil? There is no where in the room for me to test it out.

[@SawsHub]

I was going to recommend testing it out first, haha! In theory, the stain should add some color to the wood if the tung oil has been on there for that long. A lot of the tung oil will be worn off at that point; that's why. I don't think you're in much danger trying it out - the worst could be a bit of splothiness.

[@milanzane]

@@SawsHub Thanks for the reply. I'm going to try it out on a spot behind some furniture.

[@varun009]

Spontaneous combustion in a wood shop because of gel stains is caused by 1. The volatile, flammable solvents evaporating 2. Static charges developing between wood dust particles suspended in the air. It has nothing to do with heat generated. Indeed, evaporation is a heat consuming process.

[@SawsHub]

I don't agree with you. It is the heat that is generated by multiple layers of fabric and the VOC