Celticmoon, are you out there? Gel stain question (OT)
nomorebluekitchen
15 years ago
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hamsundm
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agohamsundm
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
GF Gel Stain - safety questions
Comments (6)I believe the problem is more common with (boiled, i.e., catalyzed with a drier) linseed oil than with varnishes. Problem is, you don't always know what's in that can, so err on the side of safety. The oxidation (i.e., curing) of linseed oil is exothermic (generates heat). The general rule is these sorts of chemical reactions increase their rate with every rise of 18F / 10C in temperature. So it goes like reaction generates heat --> heat increases rate of reaction --> faster reaction generates more heat ---> more heat increases rate of reaction -->...repeat... --> ignition temperature reached with ready supply of oxygen and fuel. Despite what the Arm-r-Seal label says or used to say, "Oil and Urethane Blend" it's a thinned varnish. The label is finish doublespeak for varnish. I tell people it's like picking up a loaf of bread whose label reads "Flour, water, and yeast blend." But I do as the others, hang the rags up and dry until hard. I use the top edge of an empty metal trash can outside, throw them over a bush leaf-bare in the winter, etc. Every one of those safety cans I've seen has prominently displayed "Empty Every Night" stenciled across the front....See MoreA question for gel stain experts
Comments (16)Are you thinking of getting the chairs with the table? I like it, and also looked online for something similar, but couldn't find anything meeting your criteria. I think its lines are clean. I don't know how gel stain works, but my main concern would be that the wood looks blotchy (deliberately) in the picture and would want to know that gel stain would hide that. I think it would and from what I've read gel stain kind of acts like a paint. I would also check on the ability of gel stain to take daily cleaning, if this will be your kitchen table. I personally wouldn't buy a new piece and alter it (but I have a hard time altering OLD pieces), but if it's the table you want and a little gel stain would make it happen, GO FOR IT! Dee...See MoreHave you gel stained your oak cabinets?
Comments (10)I pretty much followed celticmoon's steps... (THANK YOU celticmoon!! :) My process: Remove doors. Remove hardware. We did leave hinges on and taped them off. (DH was afraid he'd never get them back on and didn't want to mess with getting new -- I picked my battles and went with it! ;) I lightly sanded mostly using sanding sponges which allowed me to get into the cut-outs better. My doors were VERY shiny so I sanded enough to get the shine off. Then tack clothed them, then mineral spirits. I put on a thick layer of General Finishes Gel Stain - JAVA. This stuff is so awesome. Then I wiped off. I left it on pretty thick... too thick. If I was to do it over I would definitely wipe off more because it took a loooong time to dry. I was trying to skip steps but I think 2 or 3 thin coats would have been better. It was a rainy weekend, too, so drying was tough in the first place. DH had rigged up a way for me to hang the doors by the hinges so I hung them to dry which enabled me to do fronts and backs. When they were finally dry I did a thin layer of General Finishes Gel Clear Coat. I spread it on until it all looked wet but wiped away any drips. Once dry I very lightly sanded, then tack clothed, then we put the doors back on. I did another clear coat with the doors up and left the doors open to dry. I've done a few touch ups here and there with a stain and a clear coat. I would highly recommend general finishes gel stain! I babied the cabs for a few days but my 3 and 5 year old kiddos have not and the color seems to be holding up perfectly....See MoreGel Stain Question
Comments (11)We used gel stain to redo our oak cabinets this summer. we based our efforts on CelticMoon's (and followers')comments from this site. We also added new crown molding above the cabinets, which was unstained. My fiancee has replaced beaten up oak trim all over this house, so we had some practice. It seemed to us that, even with standard stain, the wood absorbs less stain the more coats are already underneath--coat number four absorbs less than coat number one. Based on this hunch, we stained the bare boards with several coats of golden oak (non-gel stain) first, to at least saturate the wood somewhat before the gel stain. We considered a coat with a stain/sealer in one before the gel (we were thinking Watco Danish Oil), but didn't think it necessary. The trick seemed to work, as the new molding is maybe slightly darker than our restained cabinets, but not as much as we had initially worried. I can't actually tell a difference, even looking for it. We used General Finishes Georgian Cherry gel stain, which on the cabinets came out a nice, rich cherry. But on bare wood it's nearly purple. Happily the gold oak underneath on the molding kept the purple at bay. :) There are a couple before/after pics on the furniture blog we're starting. One of these days I'll post about our gel stain experience, since we didn't go with the Java color. It was a huge pain, but we like the results way more than paint (particularly on grainy oak)! Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage Gypsy fledgling furniture blog (kitchen pics)...See Morecelticmoon
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agooruboris
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agocelticmoon
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agohamsundm
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agocsquared
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoredbazel
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTHOR, Son of ODIN
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agocheekychic
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agomary_ruth
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agocelticmoon
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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