I recently built two pieces of furniture using the same wood (pine). The first was a small end table, the other is the headboard to a bed. I stained them both using minwax wood stain (english chestnut). The table came out beautifully. The color was great and really even, but when I stained the headboard it looked awful! It's really blotchy and uneven and the color looks completely different than the table! I sanded both pieces the same way before staining and again, it's the same wood and stain, the only difference is that I applied the table stain with a foam brush and the headboard stain with a paper towel... could this account for such a drastic difference?? And is there any way for me to fix the headboard now? I haven't polyurethaned it yet fyi. Thank you!

There are many kinds of pine. Did you build them or buy them?

Did you lay the headboard down flat, like the top of the table?

Did you use the same can of stain, and stir it well each time? Or if it's a different can, did you buy them far apart in time, when English chestnut could be very different from Minwax?

Did either one of them get wet or even damp first, or sit unfinished for a long time?

The only way to fix it is to either sand it down again (power sander) or stain over what you did, making it darker, and laying it flat and using a brush, not a paper towel.

Thanks for responding! I used the same can of stain for both projects. Both were laid down flat when I applied the stain. I did it outdoors and the weather conditions were the same. The pine I used was also the same. I bought it from home depot and I made the table from the leftover pine I used for the headboard. I guess it must've been the way I applied it. When I applied it with the foam brush, I was able to let it sit for a few minutes then wipe off the excess, but with the towel, it soaked in instantly and didn't leave any excess to remove. I'm going to try sanding it down again and reapplying it with a brush. Thanks again!

Pine should be pre treated prior to staining as the different grain structure absorbs the stain differently. In fact, the Minwax can states that a pre stain conditioned should be used.

All wood esp softer wood such as pine should always be sealed with a sanding sealer before staining so stain is absorbed evenly.