How long after i stain a cabinet do I have to wait to paint it?

I even used pre-stain conditioner. but it still came out blotchy. So I want to paint it but I can't find anywhere that says how long to wait.

The sad thing is, is that I work in paint at Lowe's but I was too embarrassed to ask. But everywhere that I looked there also did not say anything. I sanded that thing down to where there was no paint at all left.

If you're staining wood, do NOT apply Kilz or other primers first as suggested by tomar82403! Those are opaque primers as undercoats for paint!!

So, the stain is blotchy? I'm sure you don't want to do it over again, so let's talk about remedies at this point.

I'm going to guess that some of the blotchiness is caused by uneven sanding. If the wood was not surfaced to the same, fine sanded finish, then the rougher areas will actually hold more of the stain's pigment and appear darker.

Let's address the blotches first. What kind of stain? What did it say on the can to use for clean-up? If it was mineral spirits, you can put some on a rag and work on the darker, blotches and try to work out some of that stain. You should know that once your clear coat goes on, it will actually not look bad so don't stress too much about the blotchiness.

If this is a mineral spirits, oil based stain, you'll want to wait 24 hours before applying varnish, polyurethane or lacquer. Lacquer is a very versatile finish and there is one trick you can use with lacquer that might help salvage this blotchy stain job: get some pigmented "toner" lacquer and spray that over the piece. This kind of finish lays on top of the wood, it contains pigment and you can obscure some of the difference between the blotches and the better looking stained areas. Toners are a great thing to have in your arsenal if you're doing a lot of furniture finishing.

So, how I would do this, would be to apply a coat or two of clear lacquer first, then apply the toner, working gradually and gently. You don't want to spray on so much toner that it looks like opaque brown paint! Once you're satisfied that you have an acceptably even stain job and finish going, then finish up with several coats of clear lacquer.

Lacquer is the easiest finish to apply yielding the nicest finish, which is why it is so widely used in the furniture industry.

Hang on kiddo - you are going to have to prime it first.
Use either Kilz or Zinsser primer first (be sure to read the label directions). Check with Lowes or Home Depot - they can help you with this selection. If these are kitchen or bath cabinets - be sure you use a paint especially designed for the humidity and use they will have to endure. There are several colors to choose from in the kitchen and bath paint - it's a premium paint - but worth every penny you will pay.

Good luck!

Tom A
Sr. Construction Project Manager
Albion, MI

I would give it at least 24 hours and then make sure to use a high quality primer before you paint. Remember when painting: Primer sticks to stuff and paint sticks to primer.

look on the can,it should tell you how long to wait, make sure it is dry good before you varnish or paint it,hope that helps.