On 9 inch wide knotty pine; new unfinished: I'm using Bona dry fast stain. Early American. 14 x 15 ' room 210 sq ft.
1 ) Should I do the length of one board at a time , or a couple? Most instruction - how to sites just tell you to apply stain then wipe off after a few minutes but not any technique. Since they suggest you only wait a maximum of 3 minutes before wiping off , I imagine you could only do 1 or two board lengths.
2 ) Am using Bona Traffic Poly. Was told I only needed two coats if I was using a sealer. But I'm staining, and Bona's site ( and can of stain ) says never use a sealer over the stain if using traffic ?
Still use only two coats of traffic - if stain is acting as the sealer ?

Thanks for any tips,

Marty

That BONA stain is pretty forgiving. So, try this:
1) Have everything ready. wiping rags, stain bucket, applicator, trash bag for used rags.
2) Start at wall furthest from the door you are working out of. Stain longways (with direction of boards and grain) a couple of feet out using a 10" Padco painting pad on a pole.
3) After applying the stain, get down on knees and wipe off excess, working from left to right. Use clean, soft terry cloth towels. Make sure your knee pads do not mark up the wood. And use soft soled, NON MARKING tennis shoes. No black soles here.
4) After you get the hang of it, you can stain a wider swath but no more than an arm's length.
5) Blend stain as you wipe. Leave no excess. I have found that a good wiping technique is: wipe off excess quickly without trying to get it all or blend it together. The idea is to just get the bulk of the excess off. Then go back with fresh clothes and buff by hand, this time removing all excess and blending the stain.

As for Traffic, I have never been able to apply it as thick as Bona suggests: 350 ft. per gallon. So I apply 3 coats at 500 ft. per gallon. I'm not the only one who has gone this route as I've heard from others pro finishers who also employ this application style.

Thanks. Good ideas. I had forgot kneepads.

Guy at Bona Traffic dealership here (Ny area Norwalk Ct. ) made me really nervous about not applying Traffic at exactly the right depth/thickness - especially if it's even a bit too thin. You seem to be saying it's not that dire ?
So, even WITH stain , you think three coats.
What about screening between ? Bona says you don't have to if it's within that 48 hour window .

Thanks again,

Marty

Actually, I think the window is 6 hrs. but I may be wrong about that and have it mixed up with another product. Anyway, while "screening" is not required, it will give you a smoother finish if done properly. I actually prefer to use 3M's maroon "in between coats" buffing pads. If your floor is small, you can lightly sand with 220 by hand between coats.