Why does nobody mention how hard it is to stain pages without them wrinkling?

I was in my living room last night trying to stain the edges of a paperback with coffee and the pages curled up so bad I couldn't close the book for 2 hours, has anyone found a way to keep them flat?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige_harris7h ago

My first time trying it I used a wet tea bag and the pages looked like they went through a washing machine. I started putting the book in a ziploc bag with a damp paper towel and letting it sit overnight, then pressing it flat with heavy textbooks for a day. Still not perfect but way less wrinkly. Have you tried a light mist instead of brushing it on?

eva2435h ago

Oh man, the wet tea bag method sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I totally would've done that too though, I'm way too impatient for the whole ziploc overnight thing. I just end up dumping water on stuff and hoping for the best, lol.