Painting/staining Diy Stands (your Experiences)

Lots of options out there between all sorts of paints,stains,finishes,poly,laminates,etc
DIY stands are common place in the hobby, they usually
What's are your preferred methods of finishing a stand, and why?

 

I found a great trick in an old woodworking book I found in my grandfather's shelves. If you stain the wood the colour you want with wood dye then Finnish it with petroleum jelly ( Vaseline ). I tried it and it gave great results. It leaves the wood completely water repellant and it doesn't peel or scratch like varnish does . It gives the wood a slight gloss and darkens it very slightly. Best of all it's very cheap. A large pot of petroleum jelly is only a pound from poundland and will do a few stands.
To use it simply put the pot on a radiator or other warm place until it almost melts, then dip a cloth in it and rub it into the wood. Repeat again after an hour. In most cases this will be enough but if the wood is very absorbent you may need another coat. Leave for a day then buff with a clean cloth. Every few years give another coat if the wood needs it.
This is well worth a try, I have used it on solid wood and on plywood and have been very happy with the results

 

For my 2 wood DIY stands I used an air powered paint gun from harbor freight it comes out very nice no runs. For my DIY cinderblock stands I use a thick nap roller and roll it on same results no runs here are my 55-29-8.8 I also have a 10-20 on cinderblocks and my 2 5.5’s are on my counter

 

I found a great trick in an old woodworking book I found in my grandfather's shelves. If you stain the wood the colour you want with wood dye then Finnish it with petroleum jelly ( Vaseline ). I tried it and it gave great results. It leaves the wood completely water repellant and it doesn't peel or scratch like varnish does . It gives the wood a slight gloss and darkens it very slightly. Best of all it's very cheap. A large pot of petroleum jelly is only a pound from poundland and will do a few stands.
To use it simply put the pot on a radiator or other warm place until it almost melts, then dip a cloth in it and rub it into the wood. Repeat again after an hour. In most cases this will be enough but if the wood is very absorbent you may need another coat. Leave for a day then buff with a clean cloth. Every few years give another coat if the wood needs it.
This is well worth a try, I have used it on solid wood and on plywood and have been very happy with the results

This doesn't stain clothes with a greese spot when you inevitably press up against the stand?

 

This doesn't stain clothes with a greese spot when you inevitably press up against the stand?

No it doesn't. It soaks into the wood, as long as you buff the excess off after 24 hours it won't transfer to clothing. It is the same to touch as wax polish. Experiment on a piece of scrap wood if you are unsure.

 

No it doesn't. It soaks into the wood, as long as you buff the excess off after 24 hours it won't transfer to clothing. It is the same to touch as wax polish. Experiment on a piece of scrap wood if you are unsure.

Ive got to say, your post sent me into a google deep dive today. I've got a spine injury so buffing isn't possble. But I spray on my bike, I wanted to find a spray on/wipe off water repellent that works on flat interior paint.

I bought a 5 gallon bucket of flat latex paint for all the aquarium projects before learning its the worst possible choice for a surface constantly exposed to water. If a drop of water sits on it over 5min, leaves a water stain.
So now I use a polyurethane coating. A spray on wax would be an amazing alternative.

 

For my 2 wood DIY stands I used an air powered paint gun from harbor freight it comes out very nice no runs. For my DIY cinderblock stands I use a thick nap roller and roll it on same results no runs here are my 55-29-8.8 I also have a 10-20 on cinderblocks and my 2 5.5’s are on my counter

I don't know any members by name but I'm 100% sure Ive seen your stands in other posts. They look great.

Do you use oil or later paint?
Any specific sheen (flat,semigloss,etc)?
Do you use any type of clear top coat?

 

In response to my own thread. Ive all sorts of stains,paints,sealers,even wood textured shelf paper (solid color with indented grain, not the flat variety that is a photograph of wood... those are awful),

For one of my stands I found a painted kitchen cabinet door that was big enough to replace the 2 plywood DIY boards. Too lazy to sand,prime.paint. I used the same spay can of satin krylon fusion I use to paint pvc pipes. It was done out of laziness but looks so much better than anything I've used in the past and has held up to the ultimate test... my cat peeing on it.
-It won't let any pee soak into the wood (even laminate retains the smell),
-doesn't get discolored and stained like paint
-doesn't crack,yellow, and peel like polyurethane.
-its super hard so if the pee has dried on, scrubbing with steel wood doesn't scuff it.

I'm using it for my 75 gallon stand, the downside is its super expensive so I'm applying an under coat of primer and flat black paint. Otherwise you need 4 coats to seal the wood and not have light spots.

 

I don't know any members by name but I'm 100% sure Ive seen your stands in other posts. They look great.

Do you use oil or later paint?
Any specific sheen (flat,semigloss,etc)?
Do you use any type of clear top coat?

Thanks for noticing! The dark colored stain is the same color as my fence outside I believe it was a Thompson water seal brand the aqua color was just a flat or semigloss I believe and the cinderblocks were just some leftover interior paint from the colors in my bathrooms. So those were probably semI gloss... Sorry can't remember.