When it came to Designing the Wellness Library, I envisaged dark wooden bookshelves, in keeping with my Oxford University vision. Think Dead Poets Society people. Typically a rich-coloured wood like oak or mahogany is expensive and difficult to work with. Therefore, I decided to work with pine as it is cheap, easy to use and can be stained to whatever colour you like!
Cue D-I-Y. Wood stain comes in a tin and is reasonably cheap and easy to use. A small tin cost me $12.99, which will cover all the library shelves, the desk AND I’ll have some left over. Most hardware stores display a wood sample in front of each stain colour to show you how the wood will appear. I used this wood sample to pick my stain – “Red Mahogany”.
Steps for how to stain wood for the library bookshelves:
- 5 raw pine shelves ready for staining.
- Lightly sand the entire piece of pine using fine sandpaper. This will remove any splinters and rough surfaces.
- Stir the stain before using to ensure an even colour coverage. Just dip the tip of your brush in the stain so not to over-saturate the wood. Brush with the grain, do not brush across the grain.
- Leave the stain to soak into the wood for 10-15 minutes. Then take a rag and wipe off any excess stain. I would recommend using gloves as it is oil-based and very sticky.
- Leave the stain to dry overnight.
Since wood stain is oil-based it can be very difficult to remove from your hands and brushes. Use turpentine to soak your brush afterwards, or wrap it in cling wrap for next time.
I’m so happy with the result, and can’t wait to see them hanging on the wall!
“Oh Captain! My Captain!”