Serious question, why do so many shops skip the step of sealing end grain before applying stain?

I was staining a maple face frame last month and the ends soaked up way too much color, making the joints look blotchy. A quick coat of sanding sealer on the cross cuts before staining fixes it completely. How do you all handle this?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessesingh9d ago

It's that same rush job mentality you see everywhere now. The guy at the big box store just slaps stain on without a second thought, same as a barista skipping the step to properly tamp espresso grounds. That extra 90 seconds for a sealer coat makes all the difference, but it's always the first thing cut when people are in a hurry.

allen.william9d ago

Yeah, that blotchy end grain is the worst. Maple is especially bad for it. Your sanding sealer trick is the right fix, no question.