What is the best way to apply stain?

Different stain technologies have slightly different application techniques but there are some commonalities:

• Always start with clean wood
• Moisture content should be no greater than 20%
• Wood temperature should be moderate, between 45-90° F
• Vigorous back brushing is recommended
• Work one wall at a time, starting at the top, and work horizontally to natural breaks in the wall, i.e., windows, doors, butt joints
• If you have different batch numbers on the pails of stain, blend them together. This is called "boxing."
• If it looks like you won't have enough stain, plan to finish an entire wall with the product you have on hand. This will eliminate any possible slight color variations that might occur between batches on a wall.
• Protect newly stained wood from rain until the coating is firmly set. Most stains can tolerate a light rain after 24 hours.
• Carefully read and follow the stain manufacturers' instructions.
  It's best to apply stain them with an airless sprayer with a Graco 313 or 515 tip (or the equivalent in a different brand). One should spray on and back brush in 2 coats of the stain (High Sierra, Capture Log Stain Log Stain or Transformation), and when using Capture Log Stain Log Stain, it must be followed by 1 coat of the Cascade sprayed on, with any runs being brushed out. Make sure to thoroughly read through the individual product data tec for more detailed information.
  NOTE: Cascade can be used over top of High Sierra and Transformation and is especially recommended for maintenance purposes; however, it is only necessary at initial application with Capture Log Stain.