unfinished wood stand & water

[midasman714]

the stand i ordered for my 85g came and its unfinished pine. do you guys recommend putting some type of coating on it before i use it or will the unfinished wood be fine if it gets wet/damp?

 

[CLDarnell]

Soft woods are notorious for warping if exposed to enough water. I would suggest protecting it somehow...stain and varnish or paint for example. Besides, it would look better Pine is soft enough that it will actually get "dirty" over time.

 

[jsethcole]

+1 I build my own stands out of treated wood and stain them burgundy. Very cheap and looks great IMO

 

[midasman714]

great, thanks guys.

i'll look into staining it (mohagany seems nice) and varnish.

 

[RD.]

Pine tends to take stain rather unevenly, so you may want to use a conditioner before applying any type of stain. For a final finish I would strongly advise putting a sealer over the stain, such as Polyurethane.
Just make sure to allow proper drying time between each stage of the process.

 

[midasman714]

Pine tends to take stain rather unevenly, so you may want to use a conditioner before applying any type of stain. For a final finish I would strongly advise putting a sealer over the stain, such as Polyurethane.
Just make sure to allow proper drying time between each stage of the process.

Thanks RD.

So to reiterate, this is the steps I need:

1) condition / sealant to promote even stain
2) stain (mahogany)
3) varnish / final finish

Does anyone have specific brand/type recommendations for each step?

 

[DiXoN]

Pine tends to take stain rather unevenly, so you may want to use a conditioner before applying any type of stain. For a final finish I would strongly advise putting a sealer over the stain, such as Polyurethane.
Just make sure to allow proper drying time between each stage of the process.

this is good advice, i've made loads of stands and if the pine does stain unevenly.
Polyurethane is good for sealing.