Staining Bamboo

Quick tips on staining Bamboo products. April 18, 2010

Question
How does bamboo take stain? Has anyone here stained bamboo before?

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor K:
I think most flooring bamboo is burned (torched) to get the color rather than stained. It's so hard it would be hard to get a stain to stick. Maybe a glaze if not in hard use?

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From contributor R:
Bamboo plywood stains pretty easy and evenly with an alkyd stain. You can also spray good water borne stain, but it has a tendency to soak up quick on the bamboo so you have to move faster with wipe off. I tend to use lighter stains like Golden Oak and I prefer using the darker carbonized bamboo as the substrate.

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From contributor B:
Bamboo swells when H20 stains are used so be prepared for this. It may also swell if you apply H20 sealer/finishes as well.