A water-based stain always has some sort ... so you could use a transparent stain or a light-colored semi-transparent option if desired. A warm brown stain works nicely for untreated pine because ...

For an extremely light and consistent finish, try using a bleach kit. If you like more grain distinction, consider products like General Finishes Whitewash Water Based Wood Stain from Amazon.

Manganese and iron, which are found in tap water in many parts of the country, can cause orange to brown stain. When the stains ... and dissolve the scale. For light scale, 10-15 minutes is ...