How to fix Oak benchtop rough surface after staining?

[Penelope70]

why is my American white oak kitchen bench tops surface turn ruff after I apply the stain.

I have sanded down with sandpaper and made it nice and smooth. But when I apply the stain it gets ruff 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Penelope70,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

When you sand the surface smooth, the wood fibres lay flat. However, as the stain is applied, it causes the wood fibres to swell, particularly in open-grain woods like white oak. This makes the surface feel rough, even though it was smooth before staining.

The way to stop this happening is to lightly dampen the surface with a damp (not soaking) cloth and let it dry. This will cause the wood fibres to swell in advance. Once dry, lightly sand the surface with fine-grit sandpaper like this 400-grit sandpaper to knock down the raised fibres before applying the stain.

At this point, as the stain has already been applied and the wood fibres have already swelled, just go over it again with the 400-grit sandpaper before applying another coat.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob