Considering adding a blue wood stain to your wood project? Check out Varathane Bleached Blue – our full review & how it looks on 4 types of wood!
When you think of wood stain, you might think of wood-toned brown and gray shades.
However, it can be fun to experiment with pops of color as wood stains, as well.
I personally love decorating with blues and have enjoyed experimenting with blue wood stains every once and a while.
Let’s talk about one of our tried and true blue wood stains – Varathane Bleached Blue.
Varathane Bleached Blue
Varathane is a brand commonly carried at the Home Depot. Click here to buy Varathane Bleached Blue.
Bleached Blue is a very light blue color. It does not overwhelm the wood, instead just giving it a faint coating of icy blue.
This is a great option if you want blue tones – or cool undertones – without committing to a very bright blue stain color.
Here is how Varathane Bleached Blue looked on each of four wood types!
How does Varathane Bleached Blue stain look on oak?
Oak is a really beautiful wood with natural red undertones. Oak is a hardwood and absorbs much less stain than soft woods.
Bleached Blue doesn’t do much to oak. It just faintly lightens and cools the tones. I would not normally stain oak blue, but this is my choice if you want to do it!
How does Varathane Bleached Blue stain look on pine?
Pine wood has natural yellow tones with some slightly darker graining.
Bleached Blue gives light coverage and just lightens and cools the pine wood. It tones down the yellow undertones and makes it appear more neutral.
It’s not a bold look, but more of a soft take on blue.
How does Varathane Bleached Blue stain look on poplar?
Poplar has natural green and some purple undertones.
Poplar has little almost dashes it it’s wood grain which gives it the look of a lot of texture.
Bleached Blue basically cools down and lightens poplar. It can actually play pretty nicely with the natural undertones and is a decent option if you want your board lightly frosted.
How does Varathane Bleached Blue stain look on a 2×4?
2x4s are usually very light wood with darker knots and holes. Most people don’t use 2×4 for projects you would really stain, but we still tested it for you!
2x4s have grain that varies widely between white and golden yellow. I find that stain takes to this grain differently, giving it a striped look.
Honestly, Bleached Blue doesn’t do much on a 2×4. It gives it a slight cool tone, but does not give a substantial amount of color. It’s a no for me!
Once your stain has completely dried, don’t forget to seal it! Here are our tips for sealing stained wood.
Need to fill a project? Here are our favorite wood fillers compared!
Before you stain, learn about pre-stain wood conditioners and if you should use one!
We tested these ten stains on five different wood species!
Check out our favorite white wood stains and black wood stains and gray wood stains!
Here are our favorite light wood stains + dark wood stains!
Be sure to watch my video on how to open a can of wood stain.
Be sure to check out our other DIY wood stain ideas!
Any questions about Varathane Bleached Blue?
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Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!