Besides, using a sanding sealer, you can sand it with a very fine sandpaper to give a very good, very smooth surface to apply the final finish to. Be sure that you use a sanding sealer compatible with your stain and with the final finish product. Staining Staining wood furniture is generally a necessity after you strip and prepare it. If you don't stain the piece it will quite often look uneven in color or kind of blotchy. An exception to this is a clear finish over light color wood that you want to have a natural appearance.
Wood stains come in many colors and types.
There are vinyl stains, aniline stains, and many more that are quick to dry, but are usually very difficult to use or just plain frustrating, because they dry before you can get the effect that you want. It's just like most things in this life, if you want fast, then you have to give up some other quality. There are pigmented oil finishes, that generally give good color. Watco Danish Oil is a good example. It will be covered more in Wood Finishes .