Stain has chipped in multiple spots

Q: From May 21, 2018 question – local builder who did our stain job on stairwell saying they did a good job. Stain has chipped all over the first year (only socked feet walk on) and original stained tried to do “touch ups” but the painters tape that he put down is now pulling off huge chunks of stain.

I’ve seen some other sites that say never use painters tape on stained wood. I think, like you said, if done properly it should not pull it off.

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Is a rag, brush or sponge best for applying stain to pine?

Q: You say for pine it is a good idea to apply quickly from one end of the room to the other to prevent excessive blotching. I wanted to know if it is best to use a rag, a brush or sponge for that. I want to wait a few minutes after I apply the stain in order to get a darker color from it. I also plan to water pop before. Can a rag put a sufficient amount of stain on the wood to let it sit there and absorb? Or will a brush or foam sponge spread more stain evenly on top of the boards until I wipe off?

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Lap marks in 2-in-1 stain/poly

Q: I recently sanded down hardwood floors to apply a new stain. When sanding was over we were in a time crunch so decided to apply a 2 in 1 stain/poly. We made some application errors the first time around which resulted in dark lap marks. We talked to the company and they recommended sanding lap marks with a 220 grit sandpaper to lighten them up to the surrounding floor. We have done that and we just aren’t sure if we’ve done enough and we are timid to continue staining until we know we have. Any suggestions on our next steps to blend the floors enough that we will get an even finish throughout?

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Shading issue when staining wood

Q: I recently installed new prefinished, oiled oak floors and had to face nail certain boards. I filled the holes with wood filler to match and sanded by hand the areas with 150 grit to make them even. I have the exact two part oil (stain and sealer) from the manufacturer. Once I stained the sanded areas, they came out lighter in color than the existing un-sanded parts, leaving color varying patches.

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