Best Oil Based Home Stains of 2025

Howard Chester Avatar
Howard Chester
Last Updated: Jan 6, 2025

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Oil-based home stains are a popular choice among homeowners looking to add a touch of color and protection to their wooden furniture, decks, and fences. These stains are made with a blend of natural oils and pigments that penetrate deep into the wood, providing long-lasting protection against the elements. They are easy to apply and offer a smooth, even finish that enhances the natural beauty of the wood. Oil-based stains come in a variety of colors and are perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. They are also resistant to cracking, peeling, and fading, making them an excellent investment for any homeowner looking to maintain the beauty and integrity of their wooden surfaces.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Minwax 61500 Wood Conditioner Cover #TOP 1
Minwax 61500 Wood Conditioner
ftb score rating icon 9.8
Minwax 70010 Fruitwood Wood Stain Cover #TOP 2
Minwax 70010 Fruitwood Wood Stain
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Minwax 70044 English Chestnut Wood Stain Cover #TOP 3
Minwax 70044 English Chestnut Wood Stain
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 10 Oil Based Home Stains

#TOP 1

Minwax 61500 Wood Conditioner

61500
Quart
1 Quart
Minwax 61500 Wood Conditioner Cover
1 qt Minwax 61500 Clear Pre-Stain Oil-Based Wood Conditioner

Minwax Wood Conditioner is a pre-stain treatment that ensures your wood projects look great. It works by evening out the absorption of oil-based wood stains, preventing streaks and blotches. By using this conditioner prior to staining, you can avoid blotching and streaking, resulting in beautiful and even stain penetration. This conditioner is suitable for all types of wood, including soft and hard wood. It is especially necessary when working with soft or porous woods like pine, alder, birch, and maple. With Minwax Wood Conditioner, you can achieve natural and even results on your unfinished wood projects.

What We Like
Prevents streaks and blotches
Ensures even stain penetration
Suitable for all types of wood
#TOP 2

Minwax 70010 Fruitwood Wood Stain

70010444
Fruitwood
Minwax 70010 Fruitwood Wood Stain Cover
qt Minwax 70010 Fruitwood Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

The Minwax Fruitwood Stain is designed to deeply penetrate wood, enhancing its natural beauty with just a single application. You will appreciate how quickly it dries in just two hours, allowing you to complete your staining project in one day. This stain also resists lapping, ensuring a smooth and even color across your wood surfaces. Whether you're working on furniture, cabinets, or floors, this product is perfect for adding a beautiful finish to any bare or stripped wood, making your home improvement tasks easier and more efficient.

What We Like
Deep color enhancement
Quick drying time
Even color application
Versatile for various surfaces
#TOP 3

Minwax 70044 English Chestnut Wood Stain

700444444
English Chestnut
Minwax 70044 English Chestnut Wood Stain Cover
qt Minwax 70044 English Chestnut Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

Minwax English Chestnut Stain offers a rich, deep color that beautifully enhances your wood surfaces with just one application. You’ll appreciate its quick drying time of only two hours, allowing you to complete your staining project in a single day. The stain also resists uneven coloring, ensuring a smooth and consistent finish across your wood. Whether you’re working on furniture, cabinets, or trim, this versatile product adds elegance to any bare or stripped wood, making it an excellent choice for your interior decorating needs.

What We Like
Deep color enhancement
Quick drying time
Even finish
Versatile for various surfaces
#TOP 4

Minwax 70000 Natural Wood Finish

70000444
Natural
Minwax 70000 Natural Wood Finish Cover
qt Minwax 70000 Natural Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

The Minwax Natural Wood Stain is designed to enhance the beauty of your wood surfaces with just one application. Its deep-penetrating formula allows it to imbue wood with vibrant color, making your projects stand out. You’ll appreciate how it dries quickly in just two hours, enabling you to complete your staining tasks in a single day. The stain also resists lapping, ensuring a uniform color throughout your project. Whether you’re working on furniture, cabinets, or floors, this product is perfect for bringing out the best in bare or stripped wood.

What We Like
Deep color enhancement
Quick drying time
Even color application
Versatile for various surfaces
#TOP 5

Minwax Mocha Wood Finish Stain

700194444
Mocha
Minwax Mocha Wood Finish Stain Cover
qt Minwax 70019 Mocha Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

The Minwax Mocha Stain offers a rich, deep color that enhances the natural beauty of your wood surfaces with just one coat. It dries quickly in just two hours, allowing you to complete your staining project in a single day. This stain helps prevent lapping, ensuring an even color across your surfaces. Whether you’re working on unfinished furniture, cabinets, doors, or floors, this stain is perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any bare or stripped wood.

What We Like
Deep color enhancement
Quick drying time
Even color application
Versatile for various surfaces
#TOP 6

Minwax 22330 English Chestnut Stain

223304444
English Chestnut
8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)
Minwax 22330 English Chestnut Stain Cover
1/2 pt Minwax 22330 English Chestnut Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

The Minwax English Chestnut Stain offers a rich, penetrating color that enhances the natural beauty of your wood surfaces with just one application. You’ll appreciate how quickly this stain dries, allowing you to complete your project in a single day. It also resists lapping, ensuring a consistent and even color across your wood. This stain is versatile and works well on any bare or stripped wood, making it ideal for unfinished furniture, cabinets, doors, trim, molding, and floors. You can easily elevate the look of your home with this convenient product.

What We Like
Deep penetration enhances wood beauty
Quick drying time for efficiency
Consistent, even color application
Versatile for various wood surfaces
#TOP 7

Minwax Classic Gray Wood Stain

227614444
Classic Gray 271
8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)
Minwax Classic Gray Wood Stain Cover
1/2 pt Minwax 22761 Classic Gray Wood Finish Penetrating Oil-Based Wood Stain

Minwax Classic Gray Stain offers a rich color that penetrates deeply into the wood, enhancing its natural beauty with just one application. You can expect it to dry in about two hours, allowing you to complete your staining project within a day. This stain is designed to prevent lapping, ensuring a uniform shade across the surface. Whether you're working on furniture, cabinets, or flooring, this product is perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any bare or stripped wood surface.

What We Like
Deep color enhancement
Quick drying time
Even color application
Versatile for various surfaces
#TOP 8

Old Masters Oil Based Wiping Stain, 0.5 pt

11416
Red Mahogany
0.5 pt
Old Masters Oil Based Wiping Stain, 0.5 pt Cover
Old Masters 11416 Oil Based Wiping Stain, 0.5 pt, Red Mahogany

This oil-based wiping stain by Old Masters offers easy application and superior color control, making it perfect for interior use. It also works well for exterior use when combined with a protective clear finish. This product is a great way to add value to your home stains collection.

What We Like
Easy application
Superior color control
Suitable for exterior use with a protective clear finish
#TOP 9

Varathane Golden Pecan Wood Stain

211710H
Golden Pecan
Quart
Varathane Golden Pecan Wood Stain Cover
Varathane 1 qt Rust-Oleum Brands 211710H Golden Pecan Varathane Oil-Based Interior Wood Stain

The Varathane Wood Stain is an excellent choice for enhancing the beauty of your interior wood surfaces. Its oil-based formula penetrates deeply, providing a richer and more natural color to furniture, cabinets, and trim. You’ll appreciate how quickly it dries to the touch in just 1-2 hours, allowing you to cover up to 150 square feet efficiently. Plus, its easy application means no blotching or constant stirring, making your staining project simpler and more enjoyable. With the ability to recoat after just two hours, you can achieve a professional finish in no time.

What We Like
Deep color penetration
Quick drying time
Even application
No blotching
#TOP 10

Varathane 225245H

225245H
Provincial
Quart
Varathane 225245H Cover
Rust-Oleum 225245H Oil-Based Stain + Poly, Quart, Provincial, 32 Fl Oz

The Varathane 225245H Wood Stain & Polyurethane is a versatile product that is perfect for all your interior woodworking projects. Whether you're working on intricate moldings, wood furniture, trim, cabinets, doors, or paneling, this one-step solution has got you covered. With its oil-based formula, it delivers a deep, rich color and a renowned Varathane polyurethane finish in just one easy application. The best part? It dries thoroughly in just 3 hours and can cover up to 100 sq ft. The stain and polyurethane technology work together to provide a durable and protective coating, ensuring your projects stay looking beautiful for years to come. The smooth, semi-gloss finish adds a touch of elegance and is long-lasting. Upgrade your woodworking game with Varathane 225245H Wood Stain & Polyurethane.

What We Like
Ideal for all interior projects
Deep, rich color in one application
Dries quickly in 3 hours
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are some oil based stains?

Common Oil-Based Stains. Margarine or butter.Cooking oil (including olive oil, canola oil, etc.)Mayonnaise.Deodorant.Salad dressing.Makeup and moisturizers.Motor oil.Gasoline.

2. Are oil based stains still available?

Many brands have gone away from oil-based stains to water-based, but you are still able to use oil-based stains in all US States and Canada. We currently restore about 300-400 decks annually, and our favorites are the penetrating semi-transparent and semi-solids.

3. Can you get oil based wood stain?

Wood Stains With strong color pigments and great coverage, stains can protect and add longevity to the color of your wood. There are two types of wood stain — water-based and oil-based.

4. Do oil based stains last longer than water based?

Water-based stains require a little more time and effort than oils, but it pays off with significantly greater durability. Oil based stains are easy to apply and take less effort, but they will not last nearly as long as a water based stain.

Editor's Notes

During our oil based home stain research, we found 24 oil based home stain products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 57,097 customer reviews through our big data system to write the oil based home stains list. We found that most customers choose oil based home stains with an average price of $17.62.

The oil based home stains are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of oil based home stains, including Minwax, Old Masters, Varathane, Rust-Oleum. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 385 consumers with an average rating of 4.7.

Written by
Howard Chester Avatar

Howard Chester is an architect from New York who holds a master's degree in architectural design, his passions for interior design and home improvement contribute to his extensive knowledge of all things furniture and home goods. Howard Chester Specializes in various architectural and interior design projects. He often publishes articles related to decoration on key websites and interior design magazines.