Sectioning often plays an essential role to achieve good quality stains. Thick and thin sections, chatter, "exploding" tissues, and floaters from the waterbath are all artifacts of sectioning that may negatively impact how the tissue picks up the stain.
Thick and thin sectioning is most often a result of poor technique at the cutting station due to uneven rotation of the microtome. Many laboratories now use automated sectioning on microtomes to not only reduce ergonomic injuries, but to provide consistently even sectioned slides.
Chatter and exploding sections are typically related to tissue processing. Chatter is a result of overprocessed/overly dehydrated tissue, while "exploding" sections result from underprocessed/poorly infiltrated tissues.
