Carpentry and Woodworking - Stain Wainscot Before or After Installation?

Greetings:

As part of my basement finishing project, I am about to install wainscoting made from oak veneer plywood and various widths of 1x for rails and stiles.

I will be using a Minwax oil-based stain. Is it best to stain everything before I install it or after?

Thank you.

You will probably get conflicting answers on this but I prefer to stain and seal whatever I can before installation. IMO it is faster/easier that way.

I agree with Mark. Much easier to deal with before it goes on the wall.

Finish coat after filling nail holes, etc.

Thanks for your responses. That's the way I'm leaning.

My main concern about staining after installation would be all the drips running down the vertical surface, though would that even be an issue because the excess liquid will get wiped off anyway?

I agree with Mark and George. Staining before installation is much easier.

Drips with the stain aren't really an issue because you wipe off any excess - unles you need to worry about the floor.

If you stain first, you should also apply at least 1 coat of sealer [varnish or poly] This will protect the stain from any marks from installation. The final coat of poly/varnish should be applied after installation so you can putty and seal all the nail holes and cracks/joints.

Finishing before installation is easy, but I personally like to do all the finish work after installation, because in case you have any problems they can be easily taken care of with sanding or replacing whatever got damaged, and your finish will look allot better because you can eliminate all the joints and nail holes, and it makes the finish look more custom.

When I first started out, If I made a mistake we would not only have to replace what was damaged but we also had to redo the finish on it. After that it just got to be a habit to install first, then finish.

I've been doing custom made cabinets for 8 years now, you can look at some of my finished work Here (http://boykitchens.com).

George,

I took a look at your Web page. You do beautiful work.

It sounds like it boils down to personal preference. Personally, I can imagine that I could run into problems either way I go. I've never even worked with wood before, so the possibilities are endless.

I've decided to stain first and do it in my garage. I'm concerned about getting the wood attached to the walls and then somehow screwing up the staining. Besides, I don't have good ventilation in the basement. Also, I intend to cut the panels so that all of the joints are hidden behind the stiles.

Thanks for your suggestions.

As for wains coating, finish everything before you hang it. You dont even need to cut it to length. Your chair rail will cover the top cut and the bottom will be covered by the baseboard. Stain and poly the chiar rail and baseboard, then cut them to fit. put a tab of stain on the joints, install, and generally you dont need to poly your cuts. Buy painted plywood nails and you dont have to worry about them either. Plus you can put your nails under the baeboard and chair rail.Then you will only have one nail in the center to worry about. You cna make your own filler. ?Use some sawdust, add in stain, add in glue and mix up. It'll match your paneling, snad smooth and hit with a dap of poly.

I am almost done remodeling my basement. I finished all me wood prior to installation. So much easier to staina nd poly in the garage or outside then it is in thehouse. Plus it keeps the odor outside and dangerous fumes away from your sources of spark (hot water tank, etc.)