What kind of stain to use under a marine varnish?

[Jake Goodson]

I’m refinishing my front door, am planning on multiple coats of a good marine varnish, but after sanding all the old finish off I realized it would look much better with a stain to darken it a little (turns out that under all that old finish is Cypress wood, and that light a wood would look odd on the house). Are there any types of stain that work best for outdoor and will also work under a marine varnish? In reading one of Flexner’s books it looks like I should go with a pigment stain rather than a dye stain, but I can’t find anything on the proper stain binder to use under a marine varnish (oil, water, varnish or lacquer binder). Perhaps I’m overthinking this and any stain will work; I’ve just put a lot of time into this door rehab, and would hate to waste it by picking the wrong stain...

Thanks for any help!

[Wayne Lomman]

Use a solvent based stain where the solvent is compatible with your varnish. Dye or pigment is your choice. Dye will give a clear and bright colour. Pigment will give you colour without the sharp clarity. I don't use water-borne stain because of the grain raising and drying time. Lacquer based is a toner and you can make that by adding dye to your varnish. Cheers

[Jim Becker]

You need to choose a colorant that is UV stable for this kind of application...

[Steve Schoene]

I agree with Jim. While there are variations in light fastness among both pigments and dyes, on average pigments are considerably more light fast than dyes.