I stain my baskets with Minwax. That's Minwax in the yellow can. Don't go for some off brand of stain. I repeat Minwax!!! Ok. ok....There are some really great basket stains on the market from basket weaving supply stores, but they just aren't as readily available as Minwax is. You can get Minwax, that's Minwax in the yellow can, at your home improvement stores like Lowes, Home Depot and Sears. If you have a lot of baskets to stain, go for the gallon size in your favorite color. If you are trying colors out, go for the smallest size you can get. Lay down a piece of newspaper and have a disposable foam brush. The foam brushes can be purchased at your craft store for sometimes 20 for $1.00.
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Basketmaster's Weavings is about my passions, much of which revolves around basket weaving. I weave with reed and I love teaching others to weave. Many of the patterns and styles that I show in the blog are geared to the beginning weaver, or even the brand new weaver. If you have been thinking about wanting to learn to weave, then this blog is for you. Throughout the blog and videos I take you step by step through each and every process of weaving. I want you to be successful in weaving the very first time you try. For the intermediate and advanced weaver, my wish is that you take ideas that I show, mix them up a bit, and incorporate them into your own beautiful creations.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Staining a Basket with Liquid Minwax
I stain my baskets with Minwax. That's Minwax in the yellow can. Don't go for some off brand of stain. I repeat Minwax!!! Ok. ok....There are some really great basket stains on the market from basket weaving supply stores, but they just aren't as readily available as Minwax is. You can get Minwax, that's Minwax in the yellow can, at your home improvement stores like Lowes, Home Depot and Sears. If you have a lot of baskets to stain, go for the gallon size in your favorite color. If you are trying colors out, go for the smallest size you can get. Lay down a piece of newspaper and have a disposable foam brush. The foam brushes can be purchased at your craft store for sometimes 20 for $1.00.
8 comments:
Thanks for the speedy tutorial, Nancy! My next mission will be to stain one of my ribbon baskets.
Excellent tutorial! Thank you for taking the time to do this for us.
It's much appreciated. I use walnut hulls to dye my baskets, but I know that's not practical for everyone; this is much easier.
Thanks again. :)
So glad to hear you are learning to crochet!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I like to knit but I get bored with that occasionally. Looking forward to seeing your dishcloths. Thanks for visiting my blog.
No after picture? I just stained some shelves with minwax and it's a bit sticky. Any suggestions?
Nancy, I use the custom color for burgundy at rit's website. I should warn you, I dye reed like I cook - if I don't like the color I start tweaking with the amounts of colors I add. The brown really tones down the reds to a country color. Another thing I do is add a little black to my navy to deepen the color.
As far as stain goes, I use both boiled black walnut stain and a mixture of Minwax. I use 1 part Minwax, 1 part ordorless mineral spirits and 1/2 part linseed oil. Mix these 3 together and then brush on. One difference I do is the bristle brush rather than the foam brush - I get in a hurry and don't do it light enough not to leave "chunks" of the foam behind on the basket! (Kind of like I brush my teeth too hard!) Good luck with the custom colors ~Ann
I may have missed it, but what stain colors work best? I'm thinking about starting with a "light pine", but would love your thoughts on other options.
Good post, by the way! :-)
I am fairly new to basket weaving and have been experimenting with stains. I was taught to mix in mineral spirits to my Minwax stain but don't know the reason behind it. A few times I've used Minwax straight up and like the result better. The color is richer and the seal of the wood and reed seems better. What is the reason for mixing in mineral spirits? i would like to know because in certain cases it would be helpful.
I'm loving this new craft!
I'm new to basket weaving, and although I've stained a number of baskets, I have some questions as I'm seeking to perfect what I think looks the best. I love Minwax but was taught to mix in 1/2 part mineral spirits. What is the reason for this? I prefer the look of straight, undiluted Minwax but would like to know the reason behind the mineral spirits mix in because in some cases it may be a good idea.
I'm loving this new craft!
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