How to Spray Stain on Wood

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We built a precious raised garden bed that we need to protect, it needed a stain finish. I’ve sprayed a lot of paint in my day, but I hadn’t sprayed stain yet and I was a little nervous! I wasn’t sure I knew how to spray stain on wood, but it was SO MUCH easier than I expected. I’m giving you all the tips I learned spray staining our DIY raised garden bed. I want to thank Wagner for sponsoring this post, all opinions, directions and recommendations are all my own.

Let me start by saying I hand stained all the wood on the outdoor pergola we built. I really don’t know what I was thinking on that move. I guess it just shows how nervous I was to spray an oil based stain. I was scared of the mess and the clean up. But oh my word. I had NO reason to be scared! Here is the sad little area we spruced up:

After we built this garden box I decided to give the spray stain a try (get the full DIY garden box building tutorial here.) We used the same oil based stain that our builder used on our fence for a cohesive look to our yard. It was so quick and easy. I played with the settings on my Wagner FLEXiO 5000 sprayer until I got a spray pattern I liked. Stain is slightly thinner than normal paint so I turned down the force and flow on the sprayer. This is simple to do and I recommend trying your sprayer on scrap wood until you get it right. This will prevent you from over spraying, getting drippy messes or under spraying and having to do multiple coats.
Once your spray pattern is right get close to the wood, within 1 to 3 inches and move the sprayer in a sweeping motion, keeping the spray nozzle equal distance from the wood for an even finish. Remember the nozzle on the Wagner sprayer can turn to spray different directions, side to side or up and down. Allow the stain to dry before you go back over the wood and see if you missed any spots. It will look uneven as it dries, so it is hard to spot any areas that need touch up until dry. I only had to spray the garden box once and then touch up a few spots. It literally took minutes to spray the entire thing. FYI – I stained the inside even though you won’t see it for added protection to the wood.

Then came the cleanup that I was dreading.I bought a can of Mineral Spirits for the clean up process. After dumping the unused stain back into the bucket I added mineral spirits to the spray can. I swooshed them around a bit then sprayed the sprayer into a trash bucket to get the oil stain out of the sprayer lines.
Next I used a paper towel to wipe down the exterior of the sprayer, nozzle, etc. The stain was gone in a flash. I rinsed everything in warm soapy water and let it air dry. I told my husband that cleanup was easier than the normal latex paint I use. Who knew it would be so simple. I’m now kicking myself for not trying to spray stain sooner! I could have saved us hundreds of dollars having the additional fence we had built stained!!!  Here is what you will need to spray stain on a wood fence, wooden garden box, furniture or other outdoor projects.

Spray Stain on Wood Supply List

Wagner FLEXiO Sprayer ( I use the 5000 model and ADORE it)

Stain – we used an oil based stain that matched what our builder used on our fence for a cohesive look

Mineral Spirits – if you use an oil based stain you need this for clean up. 

Trash bucket for cleanup

Paper towels or trash rags for clean up

The more I experiment and try with my Wagner paint sprayer the more I want to do. It is such an amazing tool to have in my arsenal I really can’t recommend it enough if you are planning on painting or staining multiple projects. Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with! If you want some extra tips and ideas for using a paint sprayer check these projects out:
Painting outdoor furniture

Bar Stool Makeover

Stair Gate DIY

Wicker Furniture