(stain after 1 minute)

A very pinteresting idea – make your own wood stain.  With materials we already have in the house?  Why not?!   I let my stain sit for about 2 days before I tried it on a pine board.   Initially it went on clear and I thought the concoction had not worked.   Ten minutes later I looked over an was amazed.   It was like organic, wood lover, up-cycler heaven.

The mix itself was simple.   No measuring.    I took a piece of steel wool and put it in an old glass jar.   I actually made two batches on my first try.  One with white vinegar which I had for cleaning purposes and one with apple cider vinegar which I had for salads.   The two had different results.

Both stains went on clear initially but within minutes showed good results.   The white vinegar had a more rust colored, brown stain and the apple cider vinegar was more of a gray, barn wood, color.  I love these stains because many of my projects I work on inside after my kids go to bed when it’s too dark to be outside.   I don’t worry about toxic fumes with vinegar stain.   Also, I have no hesitation about letting my 3 year old assist me with “painting”.

Unlike the typical wood stain you do not need to wipe this stain off if there is excess.  It all absorbs into the wood making it one less step than conventional wood stains.  I attached a few pictures of some projects in which I used the vinegar stain.  Pine absorbs the stain quickly – a wood like plywood – not so much, so keep that in mind.

white vinegar stain on pine wood sofa table

apple cider vinegar stain blanket ladder

one coat of apple cider vinegar on wood shingles