General Finishes Gel Stain Update
tntwalter
14 years ago
OK. I finished staining [finally]. Thank you so much to everyone on the board who gave detailed instructions on how to do it. It's easy but tedious work. I am not a patient person so this was a challenge for me.
It took about a week + to do these. I left some on the hinges so I could do both sides. This worked great. I washed with soap and green scotch brite sponge. Then I wiped on mineral spirits with a rag. I lightly sanded some surfaces but my cabinets were so beat up there was little need.
I did a coat waited 24 hours and did another coat. Then waited and did top coat again 24 hours 2nd top coat. Then took all drawers and doors off and did base only 1 coat and 2 top coats.
My favorite part is how now the cabinets don't matchy match with the flooring [always bothered me]. And I can't believe how great it goes with the granite!
Thanks.
BEFORE
AFTER
My tips.
1. go light. You can always add more coats but you can't take it back. I went dark so I had to continue that way. I ended up liking it but there were some tears during it because I didn't plan to go dark.
2. GLOVES. Not latex [they disintegrate]. Wear em or you'll stain your nails and cuticles and it does NOT come off [been wearing dark nailpolish for a while now because I ran out of gloves].
3. Using old socks workes best. Put gloved hand inside of a sock and wipe it on. Use rag to wipe it off and blend it in.
4. Use the sponge throw-away brushes for the top coat.
The color I used was Brown Mahogany.
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Comments (19)
glenster_jr
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Gel stain vs. Polyshades
Comments (50)I have read and re-read this post a thousand times. And just like Sherry74, I have spent well over $100 dollars on several stains, GF, Minwax Polyshades, Old Masters, Minwax Express, and even Varathane Stain+Poly. I have been practicing on a scrap cabinet sectioned off into small squares by blue tape, and for the past two months my fingers have been permanently stained brown. My goal has never been dark cabinets, but rather a rich medium brown (think warm walnut) that still allows the wood to show through. I have tried everything with the gel stain, quick wipe on - wipe off, longer wait time followed by wipe off, no wipe off, all applied in every way conceivable; sock, foam brush, and a good quality paint brush. Everything ended up looking about like Sherry74's cabinets. Then I tried building up layers of Polyshades, that went on so translucently that by the time I got to the color I wanted, there was sticky residue in every corner. However, enough experimenting to rival a woodshop, I think I have finally found the magic combination. * First a good cleaning with a green scrubbing pad and cleaner. * Then a very light sanding just to scuff the surface. * Next two lightly brushed on coats of brown paint mixed 1 part paint to 4 parts Valspar Clear Mixing Glaze. This tones down the grain and seals the dryest parts while staying translucent. (I used Valspar paint in Pumpernickel.) There is a great blog out there by Jenny on her blog Anything Pretty (linked at the bottom?) * Then one lightly brushed on coat of a 1:2mix of GF Walnut gel stain and Polyshades in Honey Satin. * Finally, when completely dry, one to two coats of GF Wipeon Clear Gel Coat. This method allowed all the working time of regular stain, without all the sanding. I am ready to start in my master bathroom. I will post pictures when I get done....See MoreFirst Coat - General Finishes Gel Stain
Comments (7)It loos as though it is wiped off very unevenly, leaving streaks that will be very visible when finished, as well as deposits of materials in the corners. With these products you pretty much want to wipe off everything that has not thoroughly soaked into the wood. Once you've gotten down to the stage in your picture use a clean soft rag (think old T-shirt material) to buff off the remaining streaks, and to get the stain out of the corners, unless that is an "antique look" that you're going for (something extremely difficult to accomplish well without a lot of practice and experience, so I wouldn't try it). This thorough wipe-off can sometimes have the unfortunate effect of differential capture of different components of the stain, resulting in unexpected color results. It's critical to test any stain/finish by completely finishing a test piece of the same material (say the back side of a seldom-used door in this case) to assess the outcome. That means use the same sanding regime, stain application and finish, in the same number of coats, with the same between coat treatment. Stained wood can change color a lot when finish is applied. Commercial cabinet finishers typically spray a color or stain layer on and do not wipe anything off, allowing them to achieve better color uniformity and reproducibility, albeit at a cost to the clarity of the finish....See MoreWhat General Finishes Top Coat is best for Gel Stain ?
Comments (7)I just called General Finishes. They are EXTREMELY HELPFUL ! I had already purchased the Polyacrylic Water Based top coat and he told me that was incorrect. He said their are so many people posting on Pinterest/internet ect about this top coat so everyone keeps using it but they never meant for the gel stain to be used with the Polyacrylic top coat. He said it will work out fine but it is not the best top coat for gel stain on KITCHEN CABINETS. He explained that the 3 choices were the Endurovar, High Performance Clear and Arm R Seal. He explained the difference in such great detail that honestly I was still a bit confused. I then just asked which one he would use and he said if you have the patience to WAIT A LONG TIME for the top coats to dry then he would choose/likes the Arm R Seal the best. He stressed over and over again the importance of DRY TIME. He discussed how everyone is using the Java Gel Stain like PAINT applying very thick coats and said that if you don't wait approximately 48 hours between EVERY SINGLE COAT of the stain itself and then ONE FULL WEEK before applying the top coat you will not get the best results. He said not waiting says between coats may seem okay when using the gel stain but when you apply the top coats you may get a cloudy film. ( also said all woods are different and people prepare the wood in so many different ways that it is possible for some to report good results WITHOUT waiting the proper dry time but that wont happen for everyone so it is just best to be patient and wait out the dry times ESPECIALLY if you are essentially PAINTING on the gel stain. ) Also mentioned NO sanding in between gel stain coats but YES sanding lightly with 400 grit between top coats ( and of course no sanding the final top coat. I just bought the Arm R Seal as he recommended and we will see how it goes. Guess its a good thing it will take a week to get shipped here so I am FORCED to wait out the appropriate dry time before starting :) still would like to know what everyone has been using as their top coat on kitchen cabinets to reinforce my choice to use Arm-R-Seal.... still so worried about picking the wrong one....See More?? about general finishes gel stain
Comments (9)I would not use the minwax gel stain (sorry dbfirewife) to do this job. The General Finish brand works wonderfully. Have you seen Celticmoon's detailed instructions? You can find them over on Kitchen forum under Sticky or under New to Kitchens thread. I have also found that the Old Masters brand works great too. Not exactly sure what would happen with the filler, but will you be putting in new hardware? Would the old hole be covered by the new hardware (ie, a handle that spans across the place where the hole for the old knob was?) If so, I'm sure it will do a very good job so you don't even notice the old hole. My biggest piece of advice is--you must let it dry completely between coats. Absolutely no "almost dry" . And depending on the look you are going for, you can just use the gel stain as a paint, and you don't have to wipe it off, just let it dry. The first coat or two will not be what you are looking for, don't despair, keep going....See Moretntwalter
14 years agohere's an older shot of granite [sorry about the chandelier spots in it]
I ADORE it.
beekeeperswife
14 years agotntwalter
14 years ago
susanlynn2012
14 years agotimber.j
14 years agokellykath
14 years agojeri
14 years agotntwalter
14 years agotntwalter
14 years agojeri
14 years agotntwalter
14 years agohamsundm
14 years ago
cat_mom
14 years agotntwalter
14 years agokadydid
13 years agosaltydog75
13 years agoJessica LaRocque
7 years ago
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tntwalterOriginal Author