Q: I’m going to be finishing some cabinet doors with a water soluble aniline dye. The doors are simple frame and panel. Should I pre-stain the panels before assembling?
A: I would. It is much easier to stain the panels before assembly, no matter what type of stain you are using. Staining first means the stain goes under the frame lip, so you never see a white edge, even if the panel moves in its frame. It also eliminates bleed back, where stain hides in the frame channel then oozes or drips back out after you have wiped it and stopped looking at it.
Michael Dresdner
straight talk about wood finishing
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