It can be tough to know whether painting or staining is the best option sometimes. There are a few things to consider in terms of functionality, but oftentimes it’s more about aesthetics. And most importantly, what’s the project? You might decide to go with stain on your backyard deck as well as your interior banister, but for two completely different reasons. So let’s dive into the ins and outs of painting vs staining!
What’s the difference?
Paint rests on top of a surface, while stain penetrates the wood’s surface.
Paint Pros
- Lasts longer in humid areas
- Does a better job at covering narrow gaps and cracks
- There are an infinite number of colors to pick from
- Easier to clean up messes on painted surface
- Can paint over a stained surface
- Generally easier and faster for non professionals to deal with
Paint Cons
- Hides the natural beauty of wood
- Can be pretty slick when wet
- Time consuming when it does come time to repainting flaking paint
Stain Pros
- Shows the wood grain underneath
- Easier for deck prep & application
- Great way to make a cheaper softwood resemble a more expensive hardwood
Stain Cons
- A lot harder to change the color, unless you want to paint over it
- Can’t stain over a painted surface
- Doesn’t provide as much surface protection against scratches and such
- Has a shorter life span than paint
How does that impact functionality?
Both stain and paint can help to protect materials they are applied to. The difference is that when stain penetrates wood, it helps to protect it from the inside. By soaking into the top few layers of wood, stain helps to prevent moisture from entering. While paint does that too, a little scratch in a painted surface will be much more susceptible to water intrusion because the wood itself will have no protective properties.
How does that impact prep work and refinishing?
Preparation
You’ll want to prep both surfaces prior to painting or staining. That means making sure that the surfaces are relatively smooth and very clean. Sanding will vary depending on the project. For finer woodworking like pieces of furniture, you’ll want to get things looking perfect, but for decks or other outdoor projects you might be willing to let some smaller details go.
Prepping for a repaint can be a lot more time consuming than a restain, especially for outdoor projects. Paint tends to flake off, so you’ll need to scrape off any failing sections before you can even get around to sanding. Depending on the type of paint you’re using, you might also need to apply one or two coats of primer.
Application
As far as restaining goes, you can just apply right over the old stuff. In some cases sanding is recommended. If your surface isn’t an even grain, stain will be absorbed at different rates. Porous areas will absorb more than smoother areas, so make sure that your surface has an even finish. One thing to note is that end grains will absorb more than edge or face grains, because they are more porous.
In some ways, it’s a lot easier to apply stain compared to paint. With a stain, you can flood the surface, let it soak in and then wipe off the excess. One coat of stain is usually enough, though sometimes you’ll need two. That’s usually the case when it comes to decks.
When it comes to staining fine furniture, things get more complicated, and it’s a lot harder to get a perfect looking finish because of the different absorption rates that I talked about.
Stain can be quite temperamental, catching even the most experienced tradesperson off guard. It’s best to do some practice runs with stain before applying it to your actual project to make sure you know how your wood will take to it.
Different cases
Indoor furniture
Indoor furniture is mostly about aesthetics, so you can decide what you like best. Paint can be a great way to finish an older piece of furniture where you don’t want to put the time into doing a complete strip and sand.
While not a hard rule, and nothing to do with functionality, it is frowned upon to paint over a nice hardwood. Hardwood often has a beautiful grain and is expensive, especially with the current price of wood! If you want to preserve the grain, but bring out more color in wood, then stain is a great way to do that.
Outdoor furniture
Paint is a great finish for outdoor furniture, not that you couldn’t use stain. Paint will last longer and can look terrific on patio furniture!
Decks
Stain is a pretty common choice for decks. Take into consideration one of the big downsides to using paint; it takes a lot of work to scrape and sand a surface that needs to be repainted. Considering how large a deck is and how many angles and sides there are when you factor in railings. That’s a lot of scraping!
As always, we hope that you enjoyed this and learned a little bit on the way.
Paint Pals has been serving Northern Colorado since 2009. Contact us for a free estimate
