trouble staining pine

[DogFish]

so, i tried to stain my control panel frame a nice jarrah colour, but alas the pine doesnt seem to absorb the stain like hardwoord does, when i wipe it off it basically takes all the stain off. how would i go about resolving this? i'm at a complete loss.

[yaksplat]

You need to use conditioner when staining soft woods like pine.  It will allow the wood to stain evenly.

[DogFish]

thankyou, i'll remember to grab some next time i'm at the hardware store.

[TopJimmyCooks]

Also, you can go over most wipe on stains with additional coats and leave them a few minutes, especially on the areas you want to darken.  It looks like you've got some glue squeeze out at the joints, that will not stain well because the glue seals the wood completely. 

[Green Giant]

I second the conditioner.

Along with making the pine absorb more of the color, it will go on very evenly.  I made super cheap pine ply look like red oak paneling with some conditioner and stain.

[kahlid74]

You need to use conditioner when staining soft woods like pine.  It will allow the wood to stain evenly.

This and also I've found a trust rag that just does the best damn job.  Find a good rag and test it on some scrap pine before hitting the finished wood project.