There are a couple of ways you can do this. Since you are talking about gel stain - I assume you do not wish to strip/sand this table back to bare wood? If it were my table, this is what I would do. 1)Clean well and then apply Zinnser Seal Coat. (It is a de-waxed shellac and can go over/under anything. It will act like a bonding coat.) Sold at Lowe's. 2)Paint table top a golden/tan/yellow color. Let dry 24 hours. 3)Use gel stain and a very wide brush to create a "faux bois" wood grain. (Fake wood) You will have to do several coats. The first coat doesn't look great. Keep going! 4)Top with oil base clear coat. My fav is General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. You can put wet drinks on it and no ring will appear! It's iron tough. Sold at Rockler stores or smaller hardware stores. I have done this to several Craigslist pieces and they've turned out great. You can do this. Good luck!

My husband and I renovated the kitchen in our 100 yr old home. It was a DIY job and I'm afraid we have run out of money and never did the backsplash. With that said, I decided to just do without it and paint the walls. But behind the stove I would like to put an inexpensive backsplash. I had the idea to use antique, salvaged tin ceiling tiles and thought it would look cool. But with those the paint is often chipping off. Does anyone know if there is a way I can seal them? Can I use some sort of clear coat to prevent paint peeling and to make it easier to clean? I would like to preserve the "chippy" look of the antique tile. Thanks in advance for your help.

hello landfreiter :) your panels are gorgeous!! such wonderful colors and details!! i usually use the normal waterbase varnish or sealers but i've never tried them on glass. i think when sealing, it always involves sealing the painted areas with the non painted areas so that the sealer runs seemlessly through the whole art otherwise the art bits could just be peeled off on the edges. but becos yours is on glass, it makes it difficult to seal the art to the glass...cos the sealer will just make a mess on the glass... i see your dilemma... sorry i can't be of more help ... but the art is really gorgeous! instead of a sealer, perhaps attach a piece of tint sheet over it? the ones we use on car windows to protect us from UV? but has to be done professionally otherwise there will be bubbles. hugs luthien :)

millworkman, I think that many products are incompatible with others. I've used Thompson's WS on a covered pressure-treated deck for years... never had a problem, but it's the only finish I've ever applied to that deck. HU, I've been in that situation with cold and potentially wet weather vs a winter with no protection and I've gone with my gut. I've always been sure that the deck was thoroughly dry before applying anything though, and haven't pushed the limits too much on recommended temps, etc., so that it's readily absorbed into the wood. Be sure your wood is dry before applying the water seal and don't leave any puddles of the stuff and you'll lessen your chances of any problems.