The Perfect Finish: Spray vs Hand Rubbed Stain

There are a lot of decisions to make when ordering custom cabinets, and some of them might be less obvious than others. While you might well expect to spend time choosing the perfect type of wood or color of stain, you might not think to ask about the pros and cons of spray vs hand rubbed stain, and it really does matter.
You see, stain is not like paint, which can easily be sprayed onto a prepared surface in a nice, even coat. Stains are meant to be absorbed, to soak into the wood, and the differences in the wood grain will naturally affect the amount of stain it absorbs, and the rate at which that happens. This is a large part of the reason why perfectionists say you should always hand rub stain into any wood, then wipe it off.
But the fact of the matter is that many manufacturers spray stain onto their cabinets. It saves a lot of time in the production process, even if the wood must be rubbed afterwards to remove the excess stain and even out the appearance of the wood. Unfortunately, there is also more waste with this process because some stain will be sprayed beyond the edge of the wood and be lost.
It is also important to note that some stains may have to be thinned in order to work well in a spray gun, and that will affect the amount of stain that the wood is able to absorb before reaching the saturation point.
When we hand craft our custom cabinets, we are focused on doing the perfect job. This means that we will take the time to hand rub stain into the wood of our cabinets. We believe that taking the time to watch and understand how the stain is absorbing into each piece of wood will result in a more beautiful finish as well as less waste of stain.
So if you’re shopping around for wood cabinets, make sure to ask how each company handles the application of stain onto their cabinets, and if you want the best results, contact us today.