Tricia wrote:
Hi I want to replace my painted skirting board with a varnished skirting
board. What should I use to stain the wood so that it looks like it is
hardwood as I have a quantity of softwood skirting that I could use but it
looks too light in colour if I just varnish it?
Thanks Tricia



Which "hardwood" do you want it to look like? Most are pretty pale in
their natural state.
Caustic soda with vandyke crystals was the traditional way of "killing"
the brightness in new softwood. Caustic with strong tea is a good
substitute. Once the background colour is more subdued, anything else
you apply on top will look better, but strong colours on bare softwood
always look terrible.