Varnish or Stain? What's the difference?

Indicating the ideal product for wood protection is essential to optimize the service and satisfy customers.

In their day-to-day work, painting professionals are constantly faced with a huge responsibility: recommending the best product for a given job to their clients. One of the most common questions when it comes to this topic is: “should I use varnish or stain on my finish?”

Let's start with the main difference between the two.

Varnish

Varnish is a product that promotes high film formation. This means that it fills the wood grain, providing a smooth and shiny surface.

Stain

Stain, on the other hand, has low film formation. It penetrates the wood grain, maintaining all the texture and natural beauty of the surface. See the difference in film formation in the image.

When to choose?

When choosing a quality varnish, the painting professional must take into account the good elasticity of the film, good transparency, whether it has a sun filter, whether it offers a satin or glossy appearance and whether it is easy to apply.

For preservative stain, the most important characteristics are water repellency, excellent penetration into the wood, fungicidal protection, easy renewal (without harsh sanding), satin appearance and, finally, homogeneous erosion wear.

It is also important to check whether the product chosen is suitable for the area where it will be applied. For example, for outdoor environments, it is necessary to use products with sunscreen. The labels should be very clear regarding these aspects.