Wood Dye & Wood Stain Blog Image

 

Wood dye and wood stain are two very similar sounding products, but what is the difference?

 

Both products intended purpose is to colour wood; one stains the wood, the other dyes the wood.

 

Although it may seem confounding, the difference between the two is quite a simple one.

 

Wood stain is made up of an earthy, dirt-like pigment.

 

These pigments colour the wood. They colour it in a similar way to paint.

 

The earthy and dirt-like pigment coats a layer on the wood, changing the colour.

 

Wood Dye is more of an organic material and is water-soluble.

 

This dye treats the wood in a different way to the stain.

 

Wood dye will be absorbed into the grain of the wood. It is less of a coating and more of a soakage, colouring the wood as it is absorbed.

 

By soaking into the wood, water-based wood dyes can raise the grain. You simply need to sand it down if this happens.

 

Benefits

 

The benefit of using Wood dye is that, as it does not coat the wood, the natural wood grain stays visible and none of the beauty is lost.

 

The benefits of using Wood stain is that the earthy, dirt-like pigments survive longer in an outdoor environment, meaning that it can resist UV light better and the colour will last longer.

 

 

Tags: wood stain wood dye wood colouring pigments