Mildly OT: Staining Wood, for sub enclosure under the dash Options

[Mockmaw]

Hi all, I'm hoping that there's a woodworker amongst us that can lend a little advice.

I'm almost finished with the sub enclosure that goes under my dash; it's based off of my old center deposit box which was falling apart. I'd like to stain the box as opposed to painting it a flat color. So I spent some time browsing at Home Depot today but after spending 45 minutes trying to get a little assistance/advice, I stormed out frustrated.

It seems like the process involves an initial pre-treatment (or conditioning), then the stain, then a sealer or protective layer. Are there specific brands of each component that I should be looking for? The Home Depot here in Emeryville basically only carries Minwax, which has a so-so reputation on usenet. Ahh, forgot to mention that I want to stain it black.

The box is sanded and ready to go, just want to make sure I'm completely ready and informed before I jump into this. What're the differences between water and oil-based stains? As I asked above, are there specific brands that I should use? What other kinds of things should I know before I start this process?

Thanks in advance! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

[Zeke]

Depending on the wood and the cut of the wood, stain will behave differently. On plywood made of fir for instance you will see the soft grain and the hard grain which is actually the membrane between the anular rings in the tree. Plywood is assembled with peeled layers from the log which are and look the same as flat sawn wood. This is opposed to vertical grain where you are looking at the anular rings from the side instead of the front.

Well, on to the point. The hard grain does not absorb stain very well and always turns out about the color of peanut butter no matter what color you are using. That's why you use prestain conditioner, to inhibit the soft grain from absorbing the stain as much, to even it out. so most of the stain now sits on the surface. You need to "play" with it to acheive the desired result. Don't sand or steel wool the stain coat, go directly to the first finish coat. Yoou don't want to sand thru the stain exposing the raw wood. Black is tough on plywood. I didn't see anywhere what kind of wood we are talking aabout.