Water Popping explained

Certain species of wood present special issues when staining because of their unique properties. The most common is Maple which has a very dense cellular structure. Because of this, it takes stains unevenly and some boards may be very dark, while others remain almost unchanged in color. Wetting the floor with water prior to staining is a technique called water popping, and is used to pop the grain of the wood to allow more stain to penetrate. Even when using the water popping technique, a stained maple floor can appear less uniform in appearance than other types of wood. It can still be a beautiful floor though! It’s just important to know what it may look like going into the process. Birch, Pine, and Fir may also take stain unevenly and look blotchy. Darker and lighter hues may exist throughout the these floors and any previous water damage on the floor tends to be a dark area.