Hi @skyscott. The bamboo in this project (and the vast majority of our projects) is not stained but rather is the color attained when the bamboo is "cooked" (heated to achieve the "caramelized", or "carbonized" effect) - creating darker tones. Of course, if you have lighter bamboo and want to stain it darker and/or modify the color, you could certainly do so. The choice of stain (or colorant) would depend on the finish approach and is a better question to ask of the pro who would be doing the finishing for your particular project. All the best!