Q: First-time homeowner and first-time stainer here! I had a small porch made out of untreated wood built last summer that I would now like to stain. I like the redwood look I see throughout the neighborhood, what I think of as the most common color of stain around!

I purchased two sample packets of stain, both by Olympic. One was a toner and one was a semi-transparent version of the same redwood color. I applied them both to a piece of wood leftover from my porch and they both went on like a watercolor paint -- very thin, very clear and not deep colors at all. I feel it colored it maybe only a shade darker than what the natural wood is.  more...