re: TWP Stain on cypress

Staining tip:

If you want the stain to come out more evenly colored across the entire column, hit it with a piss coat of shellac first, then sand with 220 paper to smooth it out and then stain.

To make a piss coat of shellac use 1 part shellac to 2 parts denatured alcohol and wipe it on starting at the top and working down.

Cypress often has the habit of staining much darker in some spots than others and that makes if have a splotchy appearance.

Try it out of a scrap piece of wood to see what I mean. Shellac one side and not the other and see how the stain lays.