This is a dumb question but here goes…
I am almost finished building the bench/stand for my new electric brewing system and am at the staining stage.
Should I stain everything, including the undercarriage, or should I just stain what the eyes can see?
Projects I have done in the past did not really require (inside of planters, dog feeders, etc) so I am not quite sure what the protocol is.
Obviously I know it wouldn’t hurt anything, but I’d hate to spend all the effort for no reason.
Does the staining have a utilitarian purpose? is it intended to water proof the wood? If no then… well I was going to say I wouldn’t bother but I am just a bit OCD so probably I would… several coats… until it was perfect and you couldn’t see the brush strokes… and then I would rent a sprayer and do it again. but that’s just me. ;D
I’d stain everything visible or not but that’s just me.
On most of my wood projects I only stain what people will see.
As Mort said it is also determined by what the finish is intended to do. If I want the wood completely sealed I finish every surface the same way (i.e. stain+varnish or whatever the top coat is). If it is only to make it pretty I just do what people can see. It doesn’t hurt to let the wood breathe.
Paul
*** Edited for type issues.
yeah - doing stain/poly to protect against inevitable spills and also to make it look nice as well, although after 4 steps of sanding, it looks pretty freaking sweet with bare wood 
you could wax it with carnuba or something and maintain that nice bare wood look with some water proofing as well. or just seal it with varnish of some sort.
hmmm… maybe I will just varnish it…
shall i try and post a pic tonight and see if I can get some opinions?
Yes!
Personally, I wouldn’t finish anything that can’t be seen. Staining is really only for aesthetics.
Varnish/poly on the underside wouldn’t really serve a purpose, especially since I doubt you’ll be floating it.
Stain and finish only what is visible. Less work, same result.
For stains, I wipe it on with a rag. Better coverage, no brush strokes.
I’d go with natural stains only. Ain’t nothing finer than that natural patina* that forms on a surface over the years from spilled barley & hops.
*see also - “badges of honor”
just get out the vegetable oil, pour it on top in a glob, then rub it all over. but hey thats just me
Make your own stain and use that. Enviro friendy and you can say “I built that, even the stain”.
here are some pics - sorry the lighting in my garage no bueno.
Actually you should finish all sides the same whether you can see it or not. Wood is always taking on or releasing moisture depending on its surroundings. If only one side is sealed it will do this unevenly and result in warping and cracking.
Kris
If it will be stored outside, I would either finish the whole thing or just go with oil and no sealer. You will need to reapply the oil every 6 months for a couple of years. Once the wood is saturated you can cut back to “apply as needed”. Moisture changes will mess with light woods more than heavy ones.
Paul
Very nice! That looks sturdily built! Last forever…
You could try spray-painting it silver or matte-black! Otherwise, I’d probably lean towards a dark stain like mahogany if you want to showcase the wood. Then seal it with poly.
+1 Especially with your construction the slats will allow water through and never under estimate the power of water to run on the underside of wood.
Really nice build!
I own a number of wood tables and none of them are finished on the underside. Do it if you like, but I think it’s unnecessary work.
As far as water getting through the slats, I would be more concerned about dampness between the slats than water on the underside.
A table as solid as that one looks, I don’t think you need to worry about water causing any structural damage. By the time that thing rots, we’ll all be too old to lift kettles.
Unless you plan to leave it outside in the elements. That would be a whole different story.
no - no elements - its home will be against the wall in my garage.
Looking good Paul.
I know the T-Shirt.