Trick of the Trade: Staining in Tight Spots

Feb 14, 2012

Stain Trick 1

Stain Trick 1

When staining a floor next to a stone or brick fireplace, use a 6-inch putty knife with a rag wrapped around it to apply the stain.

This will allow you to get stain under any overhanging stones or right up against the brick without getting stain where you don’t want it.

Thanks to Keith Baier at Sonora, Calif.-based Custom Hardwood Floors for his tip. Do you have a Trick of the Trade to share? Email it to WFB.

Many factors can contribute to bleedback—when stain keeps seeping back up to the surface of a wood floor. In this case, too much stain was applied and pooled below the herringbone slats.

Wood Floor Q&A: How Do I Avoid Bleedback When Staining?

May 16, 2025

Many factors can contribute to bleedback—when stain keeps seeping back up to the surface of a wood floor. In this case, too much stain was applied and pooled below the herringbone slats.

Wood Floor Q&A: How Do I Avoid Bleedback When Staining?

‘Match Existing Wood Flooring’: Is It a Fool's Errand?

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Wood Floor Rescue: Parquet Artwork Gets Overdue Refinish at This Art Museum

Brown Oaks Flooring co-owner Ashley Do Carmo favors earth-tone wood floors.

Tennessee Embraces Warm, Natural Tones in Wood Floors

Stain/Custom Color

Wood Floor Q&A: How Do I Avoid Bleedback When Staining?

Many factors can contribute to bleedback—when stain keeps seeping back up to the surface of a wood floor. In this case, too much stain was applied and pooled below the herringbone slats.

‘Match Existing Wood Flooring’: Is It a Fool's Errand?

When using an architect’s or designer’s plans for interior remodeling work, you will sometimes see the term “match existing” when repairing or replacing a portion of the existing wood floor. Here is my advice.

Wood Floor Rescue

Wood Floor Rescue: Parquet Artwork Gets Overdue Refinish at This Art Museum

When Chuck Crispin designed and installed the beautiful parquet wood flooring in the Swope Art Museum in his hometown of Terre Haute, Ind., in 1998, he didn’t anticipate the flooring wouldn’t be recoated for more than 20 years.

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Tennessee Embraces Warm, Natural Tones in Wood Floors

Warm, natural tones have taken over the wood floors in the Nashville, Tenn., suburbs as homeowners shift away from previous gray floor trends

Brown Oaks Flooring co-owner Ashley Do Carmo favors earth-tone wood floors.

Sports Flooring

Another First in the Industry: The ASBA Gym Floor Paint and Finish School

Following the industry's first gym floor sanding school that was held the week of Nov. 4, the ASBA gym floor paint and finish school began in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Nov. 11 at the Destiny Christian Academy.

Domestic Species for Wood Flooring 101: What Pros Should Know

Lifelong wood flooring pro Bob Goldstein discusses helpful advice for installing, sanding and finishing the most common domestic wood flooring species.

Photo credits clockwise from top left: Rift-and-quartered select red oak from Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring and installed by Ron Doran, hickory/pecan by Robert Welp, white oak by Aaron Hall, cherry refinished by Alex Ramirez, maple by Adrian Molitor, ash by Chris Hodges. Center: Walnut by Jamie Espinoza.

Stain/Custom Color

Your Customer Asks for a White Floor. How Do You Do It?

We asked our readers on the WFB Facebook and Instagram pages how they create white wood floors. Here are some of their responses.

2 A 824 Wfb As24 Talking Shop Flooring Contracts Limited

Spontaneous Combustion From Floor Staining Rags Causes Ohio House Fire

A house was set ablaze in Parma, Ohio after rags used for floor staining spontaneously combusted, according to Parma Fire Department.

Firefighter sprays hose on house fire in Parma, Ohio.

Spontaneous Combustion of Stain-Soaked Rags Causes Oregon House Fire

The improper disposal of oily rags from staining caused a house fire in Bend, Ore., which resulted in $1.5 million in damages, according to Bend Fire & Rescue.

West Ridge House Fire Photo 6 19 24

Stain/Custom Color

Color Theory 101: What Wood Flooring Pros Should Know

Wood flooring expert Avedis Duvenjian explains the key concepts of color theory and why they are so critical to working with wood floors.

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Readers Respond: Pics of Readers' Favorite Spring Wood Flooring Projects

Wood Floor Business asked followers on Facebook what their favorite wood flooring projects from this spring were, and there were many responses, with many beautiful wood floors.

Mixing Colors, Water-popping, Performing Touch-ups: Custom Stain Application Techniques with Loba-Wakol North America

Sponsored By: Loba-Wakol

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