How to Stain Wood With Tea
Want to add a bit of color to a piece of wood? Tea is a non-toxic, cheap, and easy to use option for staining wood. Here is how to stain wood with tea!
You can stain any type of wood with tea. However, it needs to be prepared properly. You will need to sand off any existing finish - paint, stain, or sealant. You will then want to wipe off any dust or debris before staining.
Make a small cup of tea using hot water and a black tea bag. Note: this can also be done with coffee!
If you have a large wooden item, Use a foam brush to paint on the tea. I just used scrap pine wood for this example. Apply multiple coats a few minutes apart until you reach the desired darkness. I think 3 coats is the ultimate darkness - after that, it doesn't really get much darker.
If you have smaller wooden items like peg dolls, you can soak them in a baggie of tea. Five minutes in the bag is the equivalent of two coats of tea stain.
Here you can see the results of my tea stain.
The far left is 3 coats of tea.
The middle is 1 coat of tea.
The far right is the raw wood.
As you can see, tea adds a subtle color but definitely adds richness to the wood.
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Yes... love it !! I do oyster angels for Xmas gifts AT THANKSGIVING!!! So ima do a twist this year ! I’m one that doesn’t care for an “ornament gift” for Christmas so THANKS N GIVING GOES PERFECT!! Thanks!!!!
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Tea just might do the trick on my wall! I used one by twelves and routed a V along the length to stand on my living room wall. Twenty years later I changed the room's footprint and removed a door. So I bought more one by twelves and routed the lengths. You can tell the three pieces of new wood because they are lighter than the older wood. I even sanded the old wood and applied amber shellac. Didn't lighten them much. Now I'll try tea or coffee. I have some scraps I can practice on first. Thanks for the idea!
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While I love the craft that you shared, I am a happily distracted by the gorgeous granite countertop. I'd like to know more about the countertops if that that's possible. Where purchased, name of stone?