Staining wood before or after glue-up???

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  • geocanary
    Handtools only
    • Feb 2008
    • 3

    Staining wood before or after glue-up???

    I'm back for more help!! I'm making some cabinets for the kitchen, and I've cut the stiles & rails for the doors and face frames to length as well as the drawer fronts. My question... is it better to stain the pieces before you put them together or glue them up first and stain when they are put together? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Thanks
    Geo
  • cabinetman
    Gone but not Forgotten RIP
    • Jun 2006
    • 15218
    • So. Florida
    • Delta

    #2
    Generally speaking I stain after assembly. Any imperfections from assembly can then be dealt with prior to stain.
    .

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    • ragswl4
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 1559
      • Winchester, Ca
      • C-Man 22114

      #3
      While I don't stain the doors I make I glue up before using Danish Oil and applying final finish. I would think that cleaning up any glue from pre-stained parts would/could be a royal pain and create additional work, et al, sanding, restaining, etc. I vote with C-Man, glue up first.
      RAGS
      Raggy and Me in San Felipe
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      • Norm in Fujino
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2002
        • 534
        • Fujino-machi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan.
        • Ryobi BT-3000

        #4
        I do partial stain before glueup, in some cases to prevent white wood showing in event of expansion. In other cases, I do a partial local stain of small difficult-to-access areas since any remaining glue will resist later stain, and it's sometimes very difficult to remove glue later. I then do a full stain after glueup.

        Against the chance of wood movement showing white:


        To prevent getting stain on the ebony sections, and to assure stain is absorbed on the inside surfaces of the stretchers between the spindles:
        ==========
        ". . . and only the stump, or fishy part of him remained."
        Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

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        • Uncle Hook
          Established Member
          • Apr 2005
          • 314
          • Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, USA.

          #5
          I find that glue does not adhere well to a stained surface. So I glue up before I stain. If you choose to stain before glue up then try to keep the stain off of the glue up area.

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          • Relative
            Established Member
            • Mar 2007
            • 109
            • Garden Grove, CA
            • Ridgid R4512

            #6
            Originally posted by Uncle Hook
            I find that glue does not adhere well to a stained surface. So I glue up before I stain. If you choose to stain before glue up then try to keep the stain off of the glue up area.
            Generally agree with the above except for raised panels. If you stain them after assembly and the wood moves on the floating portion, you will see unstained edges. Since they aren't glued in place, stain the raised panel first before assembling.

            Mike
            Veterans are people who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including their life.

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