How To Make Natural Wood Stain With Common Household Items

Maybe you’re working on a small hobby project and are looking for a unique way to stain your wood without those noxious chemical fumes. You want your birdhouse to attract animals of discriminating tastes, right? Here are a few wood-staining techniques you can try using items you might have in your kitchen.

In this video, woodworker and YouTuber Steve Ramsey experiments with five methods for staining wood with a few items that usually cause unwanted stains, like coffee, tea and red wine. All of the techniques had some affect, and more than anything just require patience.

Coffee and tea in particular need repeated applications to really leave an impressionable colour; the end result, though, looks like store-bought walnut stain. He also tries beetroot and turmeric, both of which left a vibrant and pleasant colour on the wood. (I recall that Adam Savage often uses espresso to add weathering to his projects.)

Is it really worth it when you can just go to the hardware store and pick up some stains for relatively little money? That’s up to you. All of these methods aside from the turmeric are indeed cheaper than actual stains. There’s the added advantage of not needing a respirator to avoid chemical fumes, making these staining much more kid-friendly for an art project. It’s worth experimenting if you just need a fun way to add some colour to a picture frame or craft project.

5 Weird Wood Staining Techniques. Natural Wood Colouring Hacks That Really Work. [Steve Ramsey via YouTube]