Types of wood

Two boards can be stained from the same tin and come out looking completely different. That isn’t the stain’s fault: it is the wood. Every timber has its own grain, density, natural oils and base colour, and each one drinks in stain, oil and wax in its own way.

• Open-grained woods such as oak, ash, elm, chestnut, walnut and mahogany have visible pores. Stain and oil collect in them, which shows off the grain. They can be grain-filled for a glass-smooth French polish, or limed for a pale, decorative effect.
• Close-grained woods such as pine, beech, maple, birch and cherry have tiny pores. They give a smoother surface, but some of them, especially pine and maple, can take stain unevenly.

Oak. Strong, open grain with beautiful flecks, especially on quarter-sawn boards. Light honey-brown when new, deepening with age. Takes stain evenly, and the same stain often looks lighter on oak than on pine; brushed oak holds more colour in its pores and flecks, so expect stronger contrast.

• Watch out for: oak turning orange or yellow under oil-based finishes and with age. To keep it pale, try Earth Stain Chalk, Silt or Washed Umber under the finish.
• Best Mylands finishes: Hard Wax Oil or MyLac for floors; Wood Finishing Oil, Danish Oil or Wax Polish for furniture; Liming Wax for a limed look; Light Fast and Earth Stains for colour. Outdoors, use Danish Oil rather than Durax Teak Oil, building several coats with extra on the end grain.
• Sanding: for floors, clean thoroughly, then start at 80 grit and work up in increments to 120, or up to 180 at most, depending on the wood and the product, so stain and oil can soak in. Furniture can go finer, to around 240.

Pine and other softwoods. Pale and creamy when new, with knots and a soft, springy feel. Takes stain darker and less evenly than oak: the soft spring growth soaks up more stain than the harder summer growth, which can look blotchy.

• Watch out for: pine yellows and turns orange with age and light. Knots can weep resin through paint, so seal them with Patent or White Knotting before painting.
• Best Mylands finishes: Light Fast Stain Antique Pine or Water Stain Antique Pine No. 3, finished with Stripped Pine, Antique Brown or Rustic Brown wax for a traditional look; Hard Wax Oil or MyLac for floors. Apply an extra coat of varnish or lacquer on softwood.
• Never judge a stain colour for pine from an oak sample. Always test first on your own timber.

Ash. Pale, almost white, with a bold, open grain like oak. Takes stain well, with strong grain contrast, and is popular for pale Scandinavian-style interiors.

• Best Mylands finishes: water-based finishes such as MyLac or Quick Dry Kitchen and Bathroom Varnish keep it light; Liming Wax for a dramatic limed grain; Earth Stain Chalk to keep it pale.

Beech. Pale pinkish-brown, close grained and very hard: common in chairs, worktops and toys. Takes stain fairly evenly, but its close grain means stain sits nearer the surface, so always test first on your own timber.

• Best Mylands finishes: Wood Finishing Oil or Danish Oil for furniture and worktops; Food Safe Oil for chopping boards; Acrylic Sealer for toys.

Maple. Very pale, smooth and tightly grained, used for worktops, floors and instruments. Takes stain with difficulty: an even, deep colour is hard to achieve, and it can blotch.

• Best Mylands finishes: clear finishes that let its pale beauty show: Hard Wax Oil Natural, MyLac, Food Safe Oil for boards, Citrus Oil for instruments. If you want colour, test carefully and don’t expect a deep, even result.

Walnut. Rich chocolate brown with a beautiful figure, open grained and prized for fine furniture. Oils and French polish bring out its depth wonderfully, and it rarely needs staining.

• Best Mylands finishes: French Polish, Danish Oil, Wood Finishing Oil or Wax Clear. Light Fast Stain English Walnut or Walnut can colour-match repairs.

Mahogany. Warm reddish-brown with an open grain and lovely depth: the classic timber of Georgian and Victorian furniture. It was traditionally French polished, with the open grain filled first for a glass-like shine.

• Best Mylands finishes: French Polish, Garnet or Button Polish for warmth, with Water Stain or Nitrostain Brown or Red Mahogany for colour under the polish.
• Wax Antique Mahogany can go over bare wood or Water or Light Fast stained wood, but not over Nitrostains, as the wax can lift the stain.

Teak and iroko. Dense, oily hardwoods that resist weather and water. Teak is golden brown; iroko is similar and often used in its place. Their natural oils can slow drying and stop some finishes sticking, so oils made for them work best.

• Best Mylands finish: Durax Teak Oil, a blend of tung and linseed oil that replaces the natural oils lost through weathering, for garden furniture and indoor pieces.