How To Dye Wood All The Way Through [4 Steps to Fine Dyed Wood]

Even if you try to cover all the way through, it’s not settling with the wood. Well, you’re not the only one facing this problem.

So you may ask, how to dye wood all the way through?

First, you have to select the right dye for the wood. The dye has to easily glide through the layers. Then treat the woods as to make the layers penetrative. Use a paintbrush to dye your wood. Or you can immerse the wood into the dye mixture too. That’s how you can easily dye your wood.

Well, this is just a preview. If you want to know the detailed steps, be with us till the end. Because we have provided the step-by-step guide for dying your wood properly.

So, let’s get started!

2 Things To Consider Before Dying Your Wood

To properly complete the task, you have to go over two things. These include the type of wood you have and the dye type.  

Wood Type

The consistency of the dye colour depends on the wood as well. So, if you want to avoid black dye, pick white wood. Furthermore, sycamore, lime, and beech would work well too. 

Then for an ebony outlook, oak, soft mahogany, cherry, or pear are appropriate. Lastly, if you want the dye to penetrate deeply, you must have softwood. 

Dye Type

Now, oil-based dyes have a long shelf life. These dyes are highly penetrative. They have the ability to fixate on a specific colour too.

There are a variety of wood dyes available. Some of which are simply stains. Rit dye, among them, is a good choice. It is a great, easy-to-use, inexpensive wood dye.

Furthermore, both of these dyes can go through all the layers of your wood!

Effective Way Of Dying Wood All The Way Through

Now that you know what elements to pick, let’s jump into the steps. Following the steps will give you full-fledged dying of the wood- 

Step 1: Boil the Wood

As we have already discussed what type of woods to work on, so get your woods ready. Start preparing your solution where you will boil your wood. You have to set the proportion in a certain ratio regarding your wood’s absorbency.

Take half a pound of Caustic Soda or Lye in a pot. Then, mix the lye with 5 pints of water. Give it a good stirring for 5 minutes so that it blends in well.

Afterwards, we need to dip the wood into the mixture. Try dipping it 2-3 times and let it soak the solution. Bring the wood to a boil for around half an hour. Then, let the wood stay in the solution for 24 hours. This way the wood will soak all the solution into itself.

Step 2: Wipe Off The Solution

Here comes the part when we will wipe off the solution. You have to keep in mind, The wood has to be as smooth as leather. But also, you have to keep the wood as hard as plastic. 

Now for the second step, the wood piece has to be wiped down thoroughly. For that, use clean deal shavings. This is done to eliminate any alkali that might stay on the surface.

Also when wiping down the wood, don’t put too much pressure on it. 

Step 3: Pressurize The Wood

In this step, you need to place the piece of wood between two boards like a sandwich. To exert pressure on the woods, an adequate amount of weight should be placed above the boards. 

Keep the setup like this until the wood has totally dried off of the soda.

After all of these steps are done, it’s time to dye your wood. However, you might think, why did we do these additional steps?

The wood was given a “soda treatment”. By this treatment, the dye would be able to permeate the entire layer. This treatment has a number of significant outcomes.

That is, it causes the wood to shed the gooey and sticky substances that bind the layers together.

As a result, This treatment will open the pores which will allow the colour to penetrate in.

Now, we’ll be heading to the last step of dyeing the wood.

Step 4: Sand The Wood

Sanding is the initial step in this process. Sand it with a fine-grit sandpaper. Make sure to sand it just enough to avoid a filthy surface.

Don’t sand it down to a rough texture! If the surface is excessively rough, the dye will have a hard time adhering to it. Then use a damp cloth to wipe it away.

Step 5: Dye or Stain The Wood

After sanding the surface, apply an oil-based stain of your choice of colour. You can try brush-on-method. 

For this, soak a foam or bristle brush in the dye first. Then brush it evenly over your wood surface. Try to apply the dye in smooth, continuous strokes. If dye splatters on your wood, sand it immediately to remove it.

Another option is the Immersion method. Place the wood carefully in the dye mixture. Allow it to stay for as long as necessary to achieve the desired colour.

That’s it! Your wood should be coloured from top to bottom. 

FAQs

Question: How to finish Dyed Wood?

Answer: First, choose a high-quality clear coat. This will let it last for a very long period. We propose spray-on furniture lacquer or a good hand-applied finish like wiping varnish. After your colour stain coat has dried completely, apply them according to the directions.

Question: How to stain wood all the way through?

Answer: You have to apply a moist coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. The stain can be applied with any tool. This includes a rag, brush, paint pad, roller, or spray gun. You can also stain the object by dipping it in the stain. Pouring it on the wood and spreading it around also works to stain wood.

Question: Does oil stain penetrate wood?

Answer. Yes, oil wood stain penetrates into the wood. It takes time to absorb the stain. But that gives the oil a higher chance to settle in wood. This type of stain doesn’t peel or flake off. That’s why they have a demand for exterior furniture.

EndNote

Now you know how to dye wood all the way through. Hopefully, the steps we mentioned will come to your use.

Good luck dying your wood!