Holy buckets! My pine is full of bluish-grey stains. What happened there? Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. What you’re seeing is called blue stain, and blue stain pine isn’t all that uncommon. Don’t view it as a defect, view it as a feature and benefit.
What causes blue stain pine?
Some people like blue stain so much they encourage it to develop. Want more blue stain pine? Then there’s no stickering of your pile of planks, at least for a while. We want the material to lay face to face to encourage blue stain. You can learn a little more about blue stain, and the drying process, from this article about kiln drying pine.
Are there downsides to blue stain?
Many people love how blue stain looks on their pine. Thankfully it doesn’t hurt the stability or strength of the material.
More about the material you work with
There’s so much going on in the world of wood. Different species, defects that become attributes, how trees are handled and planks are dried…. WoodWorkers Guild of America has lots of videos and articles designed to help you better understand wood.
And when the project is complete?
Once you’ve selected your material and built the project, you’re ready for the finishing step. Don’t just dive in without knowing what you’re doing. Have a look at our tips on wood finishing, and your confidence level on wood finishes will be sure to go up a few notches.
I’m in the process of making an interior barn door out of some blue stain pine. What finish did you use on the blue stain pine to preserve that blue color? It looks great!
Hi Jeff, Any clear finish should work for this. I like using oil based products such as poly or Danish Oil on pine because it brings out a nice amber hue. If you prefer to preserve the light appearance of pine you might consider using a water based polyurethane product.
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America
Thanks Paul. I do prefer some amber coloring so I will try some Danish Oil on a scrap.
I love you George!! I love the fact that you consider “defects” beautiful and unusual. The blue stain pine is gorgeous! Think I’ll leave some of my pine stacked together instead of stickered.
I use bluestained pine all the time, i have a large forested farm that I cut on periodically,I intentionally leave the logs out for literally years so that they will stain get full of bug holes etc,and then bring them down to my sawmill and cut them up ,and then leave them out in the yard to get even more weathered,to me plain white pine is BORING,
Is this the same as spalting?
Hi Frank. I don’t know what the scientific differences are, but it is a similar effect other than the blue tone. Paul
One of the main causes of “blue stain” in pine trees in British Columbia is the fungus growing in wood that has been infected by the Pine Beetle. Many of the trees had to be harvested to prevent the spread of the beetle and many of the trees that were used for lumber had this stain. For example see http://www.beetlewoodindustries.com/ and https://www.bcbusiness.ca/pine-beetle-wood-spurs-innovation
the blue stain is caused by moisture leaching thru the bark and saturating the outer layers of the pine
I am interested to know how the legs of this “slab table” were attached please
Hi Arthur. Here is a project story that explains how to construct a slab table:
How to Finish the Ends of a Melamine Cabinet
https://www.wwgoa.com/video/how-to-finish-the-ends-of-a-melamine-cabinet-006293
Perhaps you could provide the correct project story and link?
i have that blue stain on my red oak and i left it.