Make Stains Look Better! | DIY Blotch Control & Prevention Formula

Video - June 13, 2021

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What is Blotch?

If you stain your projects, it’s likely you’ve confronted a phenomenon known as blotch. This is when the stain absorbs unevenly resulting in a seemingly random arrangement of light and dark areas. In the examples below, you’ll see a pine board with nothing but dark stain on the left. The board on the right was first treated with my blotch prevention recipe. The untreated board is what we’d call “blotchy” as it has lots of contrasting light and dark areas. The treated board has much more consistent color with far fewer dark blotches. Pine is particularly bad when it comes to blotch and if you like the “rustic” look, then you might not need to worry about taking measures to prevent blotch. But for those who prefer a more even stain appearance, you might consider trying my DIY blotch prevention formula.

The Formula

The formula I like to use is actually a combination of two classic blotch remedies: glue size and diluted finish. I consider this recipe a starting point that you can use to develop your own formula for the stain and wood species you’re working with.

3 TBSP Wood Glue + 3 TBSP Water-Based Finish + Water up to 1 Quart

Application

After mixing well, apply to the surface liberally and let it soak in and dry. Once completely dry, sand lightly with 220 grit to knock down any roughness. Proceed with the staining process. Since the mixture is glue, finish and water, it can keep for a very long time. Dump it into an empty quart can and throw it on the shelf until the next time you need it. Be sure to mix well before use.

Making Adjustments

After testing the formula on a piece of scrap, there are two possible outcomes that may require adjustment.

Too much blotch? Add a little more glue to your mixture and try again.
Blotch is gone but the color isn’t intense enough? Dilute the mixture with water and try again.

Ultimately, this process entails a decent amount of trial and error and keep in mind that with some woods and some stains, you’re just not going to achieve perfection. At some point we need to let wood be wood, flaws and all.

Remember there are lots of methods and products on the market to reduce blotch and in some cases you might find they perform better than this DIY formula. But in my experience, this stuff works as well if not better than anything else and I can make it as-needed out of things I already have in my shop.

Discussion

Pat June 14, 2021 7:11 am

Can you use oil based poly finish after staining over the glue/water base formula?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo June 14, 2021 8:32 am
  
  Yup!
  
  Reply
Ryan Avery June 25, 2021 6:23 am

Great content Marc! I really appreciate you sharing with us some of your wood wisdom that you’ve gained over the years. Question about qtr sawn w.o. Any tips for pre-treating it as it’s a different beast than normal rough sawn lumber? This is my first time working with it on a craftsman style project so I plan to use an oil based stain and a general’s satin finish. Any difference in applying a pre-treatment in this situation that you can share?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo June 25, 2021 9:10 am
  
  I wouldn’t pre-treat at all. Oak takes stain beautifully.
  
  Reply
Melissa Vel November 20, 2021 5:53 pm

Hi! I am in the process of refinishing a birch dining table. I tested your formula along with some of the other pre-stains you tested and I liked your formula the best. I’m planning to use General Finishes water based stain and their High Performance in satin. Because this will be a well used family table, over time will there be any issues using your formula that will come through? Another words, do I need to be careful with heat or certain liquids or does the High Performance protection prevent any issues I may have with your formula?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 20, 2021 6:58 pm
  
  The blotch control formula is the first thing to hit the wood. Everything lays on top of that. So the only way the blotch formula can be impacted or the resulting stain job could be impacted, is if the damage to the table gets through the topcoat. That can happen with any finish but the key is to make sure you use something protective as the first layer of defense. And High Performance is a decent choice for a water-based topcoat.
  
  Reply
Don January 10, 2022 2:43 pm

Marc, New woodworker and first time commenting on your site, but I’ve been stalking you for months and love your site, LOL. Thanks much for this recipe. I just read your aticle recommending Charles Neil’s product and was sorry to see that he has passed. However, I was also happy to see this article with your DIY recipe. You mentioned his recipe used glue size as well, so perhaps you are providing something similar to his product in a DIY style.

I’m Curious to know if you have fallen back to your go-to shellac or are you using this DIY solution these days?

Reply
Don January 10, 2022 2:49 pm

Hi Marc, Second question… Your link to glue in the recipe calls for Titebond Original. Would Titebond III, with it’s water resistance properties, work as well?

Reply
Naomi Neill January 29, 2022 10:40 pm

Hi
I have a table I stripped, stained and varnished then brought it in. The top layer of poly was scratching and coming off so I dragged it out again, scrapped off (came if easily) then lights sand, re-applied water based poly with spray gun. The poly is still scraping off. I cant remember wether i used oil based or water for the first layer i put on! I am wondering if it was oil based and that’s why, or possibly I thinned down the poly too much (20-30% water approx). It’s hot and dry here (Tauranga New Zealand). So am considering scraping off again and trying the oil based poly, just not sure I’ve got the will to face it again! Also, stained my coffee table with Briwax mineral based wood dye (30 min drying period), then I sprayed poly (same water based thinned down as I used for table), but there is Polish patches on the top and crocodile skin pattern on legs. I suspect it was treated with Danish oil or similar type product, as these areas are also still tacky. Suggestions?
Naomi

Reply
Byron S. February 21, 2022 5:06 pm

I am working on a refinish project (crib). I am planning on using Tried and True Stain + Finish then top coating with their Varnish. Do you think glue size would help with blotch under this finish schedule? Unfortunately, this crib was previously owned and I do not have any scrap material to test on beside the back of crib parts.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 22, 2022 12:03 pm
  
  Glue size usually does help prevent blotching. It also limits how much oil soaks into the surface. So this is something you really do need to test first. If not on scrap, then on an inconspicuous area of the crib. You might find that the color doesn’t get quite as intense as you want.
  
  Reply
Linda Mowry March 29, 2022 9:04 am

Hi Marc, since your Glue Size has water in it, can I mix it with glue and GEL stain, or do I have to use water based stain? Then after that, is gel stain over it okay? Thanks!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 30, 2022 8:11 am
  
  I feel like adding color to this stuff at all would be counterproductive. The idea is to seal the fibers before adding color, so you’d have to test it to see if you even like the results. And if your gel stain is water-based, you should be able to mix it with this blotch solution. But again, I wouldn’t recommend it.
  
  Reply
Linda Mowry March 31, 2022 8:39 am

Thanks Marc! I guess I didn’t understand the water based finish you mixed with it initially was clear. Now I get it! Also, obviously I can’t use any oil based clear finish with the Marc Glue, I need water based. Thanks.

Reply
Scott Gunter August 18, 2022 3:15 am

It there a limit to how long it can dry? Can it sit for a couple of days before getting the stain?

Reply
Laura Leigh October 17, 2022 10:11 am

After I use Marc Juice to seal my pine tabletop, I was going to use General Finishes oil-based gel. Should I change that to a water-based gel?
Thank you

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo October 17, 2022 10:25 am
  
  No specific reason to switch unless you want to use water-based.
  
  Reply
Dennis December 7, 2022 11:28 am

So Marc I was an avid fan and user of Charles Neil Blotch Control. Since you have used both, does your formula perform as well as Charles’? I also like to use General Finish dyes for my color.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 7, 2022 7:50 pm
  
  I never actually did a lot of staining in my career so it’s not like I have tested either solution extensively. But from what little experience I have, yes, I believe my formula is very close the the CN Blotch Control product.
  
  Reply
Dennis December 11, 2022 9:58 pm

Thanks Mark. How in the world did you discern to add a waterbase topcoat? I have alway heard of a PVA glue being used but not a topcoat. If you would not mind, I am interested in the effect that PVA glue has on the wood as a sealer vs the topcoat impact as a wood sealer.
Thank you again.

Reply
Lesley February 13, 2023 9:32 am

Hello Marc. I tried to stain a maple door with an oil based stain which turned out horrible. I have since found your website and diy blotch prevention formula. After sanding the door back to bare wood how should I proceed before applying your formula. Do I need to treat wood first? Thanks Marc.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 13, 2023 10:30 am
  
  The blotch preventative is the only treatment you need to do. Just keep in mind that refinished wood can be unpredictable. So make sure you sand thoroughly before trying again with the new formula.
  
  Reply
  - Lesley February 16, 2023 8:47 am
    
    Good news. Thanks so much for the response and your formula.
    
    Reply
Douglas McCoy March 1, 2023 8:53 am

Marc,
I am building a shoe cubby/coat cabinet for my daughter out of baltic birch plywood. The unit is about 24 inches wide, about 6 feet tall and 12 inches deep and will be installed by her back door. My daughter wants the unit stained a dark “English Chestnut” to match the color of her red oak floors as much as possible. Tests have shown the the baltic birch to be slightly blotchy when stained with oil penetrating stain, even with the Varathane wood pre-conditioner. Would this blotch solution be a good option to even out the staining? Do you think Gel stain would reduce blotching or is it just as prone to blotching?
What top coat and application method would you suggest, considering the 10 small cubbies and coat compartment?

I have watched you on Amazon and Youtube for years and appreciate all the information that you share.
Doug

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 1, 2023 12:28 pm
  
  Hey Doug. I hate to be “that” guy but is there any reason you aren’t just using red oak faced plywood? You’re going to jump through all kinds of hoops getting baltic birch to match a red oak floor. Even if you get a blotch free stain and you get the color close, they’ll never really match to any great degree. So if it’s within your power to change the material, make your life a little easier by using oak to begin with. On the list of things that blotch, baltic birch plywood is near the top. The formula I suggest here will work and will improve things and gel stain might be the right product to use, but you really need to do some tests to see the results. And with cubbies, I’d definitely try to pre-finish if possible.
  
  Reply
  - Douglas McCoy March 1, 2023 1:47 pm
    
    Marc,
    Thanks for your prompt reply. Unfortunately the unit is already built and assembled, so material is set and my opportunity for pre-assembly has passed. When I started and purchased material I envisioned a clear, natural finish, only later did my daugheter “the homeowner” inform me that it needed to be stained dark.
    
    I will get busy and do some tests with the formula you suggest above.
    
    Given my poor choices above, do you think a wiping varnish would be the best approach for the finish?
    
    I will be doing a vanity for my daughter soon and will heed your advice and start with the red oak plywood.
    
    Thanks Again
    Doug
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo March 2, 2023 9:32 am
      
      Yeah I think a wiping varnish will make it a little easier to finish the inside corners. Just flood it in there with a sponge brush or bristle brush and then wipe back with a rag.
Kate Murphy July 4, 2023 4:04 pm

Please help!!! My first go at refinishing a previously stained table and I sanded, sanded, sanded for days. I applied Marc Juice because it seemed like the most sensible product between sanding and staining. It was looking fantastic, really smooth and even THEN this dummy accidentally applied an OIL based stain with a damp (water) cloth. I thought it was weirdly sticky and hard to work with but ‍♀️ what do I know. It was only when I was finished and it looked super blotchy that I realised what I had done ‍♀️ I haven’t touched it because I thought it was time to get professional help, for the table and my mental state obviously.
Can I take it off without striping the entire thing back again?? I don’t like the colour or the finish but I’m HOPING the Marc Juice layer might have saved me from sanding it back???

Reply
Stacey Lee July 30, 2023 12:34 pm

After sanding down an Ethan Allen maple table, I learned the hard way that maple is norotiously difficult to stain. Can I use my custom mix of Minwax oil-based stain after applying Marc Juice or is it best to use a gel stain? If so, water based or oil gel?

PS. After complete panic and dismay with my attempt to stain the table, your tutorials are the only ones that gave me hope. I sanded the “maple trainwreck” back down to bare wood and am ready to try again. Thank you!

PPS. Any tips for deep orbital sander swirling? Still working throug that part of this project, too. Had no idea that was a problem till stain brought them out in spectacular fashion. This table might do me in.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2023 10:08 am
  
  Hi Stacey. You can use pretty much any stain after the blotch control step. But one thing I learned from this test is that you never really know what you’re going to get until you actually try it. My advice would be to test your stain out on the underside of the top first. Once you feel confident in what you see, then move to the top of the top.
  
  As for orbital swirls, you can either try sanding more carefully and going through the grits again, or you can try sanding with a hand sanding block. Sanding with the grain by hand can work well for removing swirls. You could also try using a card scraper to clean up the surface and then follow up with some hand sanding.
  
  Reply
  - Stacey Lee September 2, 2023 1:32 pm
    
    Thank you! Life with 4 kids has put my table project on the back burner for the last month. But I’m ready to get back at it this week.
    
    Reply
  - Stacey Lee September 12, 2023 1:27 pm
    
    PS. I was able to remove the deep orbital sander spirals/pig tails with a massive amount of hand sanding, elbow grease, and a huge stack of sandpaper rounds from 100 to 180 grit.
    
    Reply
Stacey Lee September 12, 2023 1:23 pm

Attempt #2 was a definite success. What a difference! No blotchy stain. Marc Juice for the win!! Thanks! Wish I could attach a before/after pic.

Reply
Kay October 4, 2023 9:57 pm

I stained mahogany window casings. On a test piece, without any Marc juice, the stain soaked in quickly, was very dark and blotchy. I used the Marc juice recipe without any adjustment and had fantastic results.

Thank you for the recipe Marc!

Reply

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Make Stains Look Better! | DIY Blotch Control & Prevention Formula

What is Blotch?

The Formula

Application

Making Adjustments

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