When a protein is surrounded by water: 1  Hydrophobic amino acids will move away from the water and bury themselves in the center of the protein. 2  Hydrophilic amino acids will interact with the water molecules, and thus tend to be located on the outer surface of the protein.
The more you rub, the lighter the stain will become and it will lessen the overall drying time. Place the object in the position you want it to dry. Place the object where it will not rest against or touch anything else that could cause the stain to rub off even more. Wait 15 minutes. Look for drips and runs that may have appeared from places where the stain pooled up inside knots, cuts or edges in the wood.
Some thick stains, which penetrate the wood and form a seal, are dry on the top in a matter of hours. Thinner, non-penetrative stains can take weeks to fully dry against the wood. Drying times are also affected by humidity, the amount of stain applied to the wood and whether there is any rain during this period. In general, for a penetrative stain, allow one to two says drying time, and then test. For a non-penetrative stain, leave for a week or more before applying a second coat. Latex stains will probably take even longer, maybe even two or three weeks.