Before:

After: The island now has stained base moulding.

**There are other previous directions I wrote floating out there so I'm calling this the revised and final set.

GENERAL NOTES - We added unfinished oak wood panels from the stock cabinet section at Lowes to the sides of the cabinets (were fake wood) because I didn’t want opaque
stain and figured they’d end up streaky if I didn’t. We also added slightly larger crown. I did finish (both stain and poly) the crown
and end panels to match the existing cabinets first. I’m not sure if it really made a difference
for the gel stain colors all matching, but I wasn’t taking any chances. You can’t tell they were additions.

DIRECTIONS:

GETTING STARTED

Edited to add - GF (Sheryl) emailed me two different PDF's - one for prefinished wood and one for raw. The prep directions are different for each. I followed everything to the T.

I removed all the doors and hinges and set up in a spare
room and covered the (carpeted) floor with large, plastic drop cloths. Set up a table that I also covered, and brought in a space heater
to keep the temperature adequate. (Read the can/pdf.) Before
I did the topcoat I removed the drop cloths and replaced with new ones. I had no issues with lint. I followed their directions and kept in close
communication with GF. I dealt with
Sheryl who was very helpful and super fast at responding (email).

I used Famowood wood filler for nail holes. It comes in different wood grains and stains
beautifully. Ordered from Rockler when I
ordered stain. It dries FAST. Keep the container closed. Put a tiny amount in plastic bag and cut
small hole in corner to squeeze out.

STAIN

General Finishes gel stain in Brown Mahogany (oil
based). I wanted to see the grain and ended
up with three thin coats, front and backs, with a foam brush. Not all foam brushes are created equal. The only ones I liked and could use were from
my local hardware store. I even told the
owner they were the best foam brushes in all the land. I did 24 doors, 10 drawers, 8 ends, cabinet…
shell/boxes (?), crown, and a 6’x3’ island.
I used a quart and a little out of a new one. I tried using t shirts and socks and it just didn't work for me. T shirts and paper towels were helpful occasionally to remove excess stain edges. I'd keep some nearby.

YMMV

Stir often. I dumped
some in a (small deli) plastic container and kept the quart closed. You can REUSE YOUR FOAM BRUSHES a few times
if you put them in a plastic Ziplock bag.
I would work on this when I could; sometimes multiple times a day. I was going through brushes like crazy at
first. I could get sometimes three days
or so out of a brush when storing in a bag.

Very easy to work with, but I completely underestimated the
time involved with this project. I had
planned to work on it in the evenings and quickly saw that wasn’t going to work
if I was ever going to finish. The backs
of the doors, for one coat, took three hours.
First coat on island took three hours
(love you beadboard). I spent
many, many hours working on this. Not trying to be discouraging - just make sure you have the time to dedicate to this. I have
no idea how people were pumping kitchen projects out in a week or two. I also can’t imagine not taking the doors off
without having an uneven mess around the hinges.

I believe I would have had to apply 5 or 6 thin coats to go
totally opaque. People seemed to like it
after two coats, but DH and I just were not happy with the look until I hit
three. I was afraid I’d lose seeing any
grain if I added another coat, but that wasn’t the case. I felt it looked like DIY job with less than
3, but I’m also pretty particular and critical of my own work.

TOP COAT

General Finishes High Performance (HP) (water based). You need to wait at least 3 days before you
can apply the water based over oil. This is assuming everything properly dried. I'd test a small area on the back of a door to be sure. I
did 4 coats on everything - two in Satin and two in Flat. There are three different top coats from GF
you could choose from for over the gel stain.
I noticed lots of people commented the Gel Top Coat in Satin was very
shiny. After talking with GF, they said
the HP in Satin had the least sheen of the Satin finishes. I
ordered the Satin and was floored at how shiny it was so I ordered the
Flat. After testing two coats each on
the back of doors the Flat looked Satin to me. (Test TWO coats - they look
almost the same with only one.) I didn’t
feel like sending back and knew whatever the last top coat you use will be what
your final sheen is. I doubled checked
with GF to see if I could layer them and got an ok. I also didn’t want to take the chance of
cloudiness with too many coats of the flat (since there was a good bit of sheen I don’t know that
it would have been an issue here), but there is more flatting compound so it will show less clarity than a higher sheen. When in doubt, sample. You
can put the doors back up after a week of the last coat and in two weeks they
should be cured. (Said GF.)

This is also really easy to work with. Leveled out beautifully and took way less time
than the stain. You don’t want globs,
but you don’t have to overwork. For time
comparison the backs of the doors took a little over an hour. I used about 2/3 out of each quart.

You can reuse your foam brushes here by washing them since
it’s water based. You'll be able tell when they're starting to get worn and need a new one. I got pretty many uses out of a single brush. I used a medium size
plastic deli container and kept the lid on between reloading the brush. Stir often.

SANDING between top coats

BE CAREFUL! After
proper dry conditions/time I tested with 400 grit (one of the recommended
grits) and went partially through the stain while barley applying
pressure. Thankfully this was the back
of a door.

I asked GF if I could wait to sand until after two coats -
they said yes and to use a ‘soft back sanding sponge’. I still am not 100% sure what that is and
didn’t ask. I know what a foam sanding
block is, but pictured disaster while trying to sand the details of the raised
panels. I had ‘Ace (fine) Sanding Pads’
from another project years back. They’re
thinner, more flexible, and I would consider them a sponge. I couldn’t find them locally though. They weren’t new and I only used one. You’re just lightly scuffing here. I still had to be extremely careful when
sanding after the second coat. If you
have any raised areas the sand paper will take it off down to the original
wood. I had a few spots where this
happened. Maybe it was lint of
something. I tried to touch the spots
with gel stain, but it wouldn’t cover or stick because there was already two
layers of top coat. I left it alone so I
didn’t create a huge mess. I have yet to
contact GF to ask about touch ups. Edges
are another place you need to really watch.

It appears to dry very hard as stated. A few weeks after the doors were back on I
managed to drop/throw/accident! a glass container from the freezer and hit a
lower cabinet door quite hard. There’s a
tiny scuff, but didn’t remove any stain and I had to search to see anything.

It’s supposed to have UV protectors in the top coat so I’m
curious to see how it holds up. The sun
did a number in some areas on the original finish.

It’s been a few months now and it’s holding up great. Since they’re dark I do notice when they need
a little dusting, but that’s not a big deal.

Great transformation! I painted my kitchen cabinets dark brown about 5 year ago and it was so time consuming (but worth it in the end). I do wish I would have done the gel stain.

Enjoy for beautiful new space!

I love how it turned out! Thank you for posting so many details.

it's beautiful!! really, truly looks great! and you are awesome for posting such detailed info/instructions.

Lovely! And your write-up will be very helpful for anyone interested in using gel stain.

What a great update! You made it look like a new space! Enjoy it:)

Looks great--the color looks so much richer, and the extra crown is perfect. I love your beadboard, too.

Looks beautiful!! Any excellent example of how to DIY update a kitchen on the cheap.

They don't even look like the same space anymore! Congrats and enjoy your new kitchen!

It really looks like a new kitchen. I'm impressed. Great idea to use real wood end panels and larger crown molding. You're really talented. The gel stain and faux Roman shade look as though you hired professionals. Also, very nice selection on the appliances and light fixtures. Hope you enjoy your remodel for many years to come. Thanks for posting all the detailed information to help others dress up cabinets they want to keep.

Seeing this kitchen again is such a testimony to the fact that the right changes, and not necessarily big changes, can really transform a room. You did such a fantastic job.

"I was hesitant because this isn’t a fancy kitchen"

No, it's not what many would call a fancy kitchen, it's a real kitchen. And that's the kind the vast majority of us live in. ;) Just beautiful, well done!

So nicely done, and a pleasure to see. D.i.y.s are some of my favorite reveals. Your detailed info will be super helpful to others, and this thread will probably be referenced often when folks ask about gel staining their current cabs to update them. Enjoy your new kitchen! It's great to see all the lighting, curtains, and colors decided upon. Beautiful!

Holy cow, that's gorgeous! Just the thing we need to see on this board, so thanks for sharing so generously. Love the backsplash.

Thank you so much for posting this. This thread will be a classic! Totally inspiring!
Love how the counters have changed with the new cabinet color.
Also, it's good to hear that GF seemed so helpful.

Very nice job. I usually don't love the java gelstain look because to me it looks too opaque. Yours looks great, you can still see the wood grain, which I like. Might you be able to post a close up of a door or side? Just want to get a better idea of the color. I plan to paint my bath cabinets (honey oak) this summer, but I might consider gel staining them instead if I can do a good job like yours.

Thank you for putting so much work into the detailed information you provided. That's so helpful to folks who will refer back to this thread (no telling how many people you'll help, in months and years to come!)

It all looks wonderful. (I can't believe it's the same countertops.) Your new stainless appliances look so rich against the dark cabinets, and the new larger crown on the cabinets makes a big difference. And you even made your own window shade! So impressive. Thanks for posting this for all of us.

Iam702 I'll post a pic later today.

Great detailed instructions & thanks for taking the time to share them. All your hard work paid off - your kitchen is beautiful. Love the rich dark color of your cabinets. As mudhouse said, your cabinet color looks great your new appliances. Congrats!

Thanks for posting! It looks great and you really did a nice job!

Thanks everyone for all the nice words!

I’ve been hesitant to post a close up because
it seems almost impossible to get the stain to photography accurately. Even
the finished photo above I posted looks much better/different IRL than shown.
The richness seems lost.

I’d describe the cabinet color as a dark,
rich, brown cherry. It’s more brown, less yellow/red than I
can get any close up to show. You’ll have to trust me on this.

Wall color is definitely off here. Ohhhhh I almost hate to post these because it just looks better in person!

Edited to add one more at night with no flash. The other two were during the day using a bounce flash. The wall color above the window is looking accurate on my monitor here.

This person mentions the same gel stain & color not
photographing well.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2617577/gel-stain-freakout-lots-of-pics

As for streaking, looking at photos or staring at the
cabinets, I can find some streaks. I’m a
perfectionist that tends to over analyze and found myself really checking out
furniture everywhere during this process.
It depends, but I discovered sometimes
stain isn't completely even throughout the entire piece. I don’t feel like my cabinets look DIY, but I
really wasn't happy with them until three coats. I was panicking at two thinking I was going
to have to go totally dark to make it look nice and it’s just not what I
envisioned. I do think a perfectionist that isn't real
confident in their DIY skills, and doesn't want to go opaque, could potentially
be disappointed with the gel stain. If
you’re looking for a change and have decided you’re going to go forward with
something ….I say go for it and remember it’s much easier to paint over stain.

I also wanted to mention I was concerned the room would
feel like a cave and painting the cabinets was my backup option. The room (north facing) actually feels
brighter than it did before. I’m sure
part of that has to do with the new paint color. I’m not afraid of dark colors, but it would
have been too much with the dark stain.

Another note, we talked about adding additional can lights,
but have decided not to for now. The pendant
lights each have 100W bulbs and give off a lot of light. We also have the light over the sink and
under cabinet lights. I just can’t see
when we would even use additional cans even on a dimmer.

hi! did my first cabinet panel (back side) and i wondered if i have to sand between gel stain coats. i'm doing the cloth or foam brush method and wipe off (not painting method) and i am surely hoping that i don't have to sand btw each of the coats to darken the stain look. thanks!!

I didn't sand in between coats, only when there was some mess-up, like a paint blob where I had slapped the gel on too thick and the surface was raised.

What color stain are you using?

hi, we did a trial run on the back of a bathroom cabinet door using General Finishes Brown Mahogany (pic below). first we sanded the surface, wiped it down with a damp cloth and let it dry as we assembled our supplies for the stain (mask, gloves, stir stick, cloth, sponges). that was my least favorite step in the entire process. i used a dry cloth to apply and wipe off in doing the first two coats, but then i used a sponge brush for the third. it was really different than the first two, leaving much more stain on with the sponge application. the first coat made me think--wow. great potential. it took the 80s oak light wood color to a medium brown wood with some reddish pigments (but not so red that it was a cherry wood color; the pic below is pretty true to the real thing). the second coat was not as drastic and it made me wonder if i was not applying enough and was just wiping it off. so for the third i tried to slop it on more and wipe, but it did not wipe as well--maybe i waited a few min too long to wipe off, so it is much darker, but streaky b/c i realized i need to be more even with my wiping off. i like the color depth but it was hard to get it even. also, i am working outside and wonder if that is making it dry too fast for the wiping. i didn't sand in between coats. since all this is just practice to decide what to do for real, and since it is inside a cabinet that isn't accessed much, i wonder if i should just paint on the gel stain with a dry brush as i've seen on youtube. not sure.

since we are selling our home and want to transform the 1980s light oak look to a modern, high end look, and don't have a lot of time for all this effort (40 doors for the bathrooms and kitchen), we are highly thinking of doing this for our future home for our own benefit, versus continue this path for a buyer who might just rip it out and put in new cabinets! ha ha. we are looking into the rustoleum cabinet transformation kit b/c it is less work, but the reviews make it sound like the top coat is rather tricky b/c it is too fast drying. the big difference that makes the latter kit more appealing to transform for selling is that one side of the cabinet can be finished in 7 hours (or 15 if choosing glaze option). wow, that's fast and a lot less work and may be what we need to do b/c we are trying to sell and do less, not more work... GF gel stain requires sanding and so much more time btw steps but a way more beautiful, less painted appearance for the final product.

by the way, i REALLY love the GF Brown Mahogany. i like this gel stain color LIVE. the swatch at the store did not look at all like it. the store swatch made it look like what a stain would look like if i imagined brown mahogany in brown paint. brown mahogany in straight brown sounds dull and boring. but in reality, this GF brown mahogany is a more cheerful, medium deep brown with a hint of red pigment! just what i was looking for! thanks to misinformink for posting pictures!! here is the front side of the cabinet in the light oak (after sanding), and the back side with the process description so far. i would use the flat top coat if i finish this track.

I used gel stain and did not sand the cabinets beforehand. I also used Cabinet Transformation on another cabinet and, quite frankly, found it a lot more work than gel staining, plus a very scary experience. The paint started sliding off the doors and is not as durable as the gel stain (it's just on a bathroom vanity, so not as much wear and tear as on kitchen cabinets.)

ahh! that sounds terrible, nosoccermom! when you did the Rustoleum kit, was your original cabinet finish particularly thick perhaps? and you didn't sand prior to the gel stain and it was all fine? wow! did it adhere w/o problems? you would think the sliding would more likely happen on the cabinets you didn't sand! thanks for your input. already got the kit (after reading your post) so we're committed. hmmm...

I used the Rustoleum (black) on regular honey oak cabinets. I think the package came with a deglosser if I remember correctly. It's held up fine in a rental bathroom.
I used the gel stain (Java) on the sides of the cabinet which wasn't even wood but sort of printed fake plastic "oak." Supposedly gel stain even works on fiberglass. I also slapped it on previously painted (brown) cabinets.

Oh my. Sorry I forgot to check back to this thread. I was hoping you saw it Tjkyonga! (I was checking the other!)

So...how's the project? Did you move forward? I believe I read or saw a video from them saying to sand or that you can sand between stain coats (checked with them via email and was told you don't have to), but I really wouldn't. Like I said, I had to be very careful not to take the stain off with the topcoat so I believe it would be a total mess to sand the stain. The only way I think it would work ok is if you were going opaque dark, and even then I think it's just adding a lot of unnecessary work to the process. I also didn't use the wiping methods because I felt like it was taking too much of the stain off and making it more streaky. I liked painted thin coats with the foam brush. I felt it streaked less than regular brushes. The one video GF has shows them piling the stain really thick and wiping it off. I feel like that wastes way too much stain and rags. I can't imagine trying to do a whole project like that. What a mess!

but it did not wipe as well--maybe i waited a few min too long to wipe off

Yeah, if it does start to dry it can drag the stain.

this GF brown mahogany is a more cheerful, medium deep brown with a hint of red pigment!

Good description.

Did you get the HP topcoat in Flat?

you are such a blessing to post such details for me. i've stalled out. still have only the one cabinet inside done. :0). trying to move and packing is priority now. i've left it with the coats of stain and haven't put the topcoat on. i think i'll return the satin since you said it was so shiny. i'll get the flat, i think!

am i understanding correctly that you did not sand at all?

and am i understanding correctly that you painted the stain with the foam brush and didn't wipe off any of the stain? that would make a big difference on the time and final result of the stain!

thanks!

Are you doing the gel stain or the Rustoleum?

Thank you so much for this very informative post. I have used the gel stain on a bath cabinet and would highly recommend GF (their milk paints are excellent too). Nice to see a non-Java gel stain real life application too.

The kitchen looks great! A lot of work, but worth it!

hi nosoccermom, if your Q was directed to me, i have decided to do the Rustoleum b/c it is water based (i think, ha!) and cleaning with mineral spirits for the gel stain is no fun. i like the look of the gel stain mahogany, but since we are just upgrading the look of our cabinets of our house we are selling, i'd prefer to do the work of the gel stain on something i'm keeping :0). the time between coats of the various processes is significantly less for the Rustoleum kit than the GF gel stain so that impacts us with 56 cabinet faces to do. and trying to get out of this house and in time to sell limits our options! thanks...

i can't believe that you didn't sand before the gel stain! i want to try that!! that would really make me lean toward the gel stain b/c the finished look would look so much better than a more painted look of the Rustoleum!

am i understanding correctly that you did not sand at all?

I did scuff sand for the prep. I followed the directions from the GF. What you clean them with (mineral spirits vs. water) and what grit sandpaper is dependent if they're prefinished or raw wood. I did not sand between gel stain coats. For topcoats I would sand very lighting starting AFTER the second coat and after every additional topcoat until you reach your final coat.

I only used foam brushes (both topcoat and stain) I did not wipe off any stain. )except small areas that may have gotten to much maybe in grooves with additional coats. For that I used paper towels or cut up t shirts you can buy in a pack.)

I don't mind answering any questions, but if I'm not around I believe I covered all the specifics of what I did in my directions above.

I saw this thread mentioned and linked in another recent thread and thought I'd give an update as to how the cabinets are holding up a year later.

They're great. I honestly feel they look the same. After inspection I don't see any wear or sun damage. We're still very happy with them.

Thanks for the update. So glad you're still loving them. :)

Wow, what an incredible transformation. I have oak cabinets so I can spot them pretty easily and I must say, your gel stain has me fooled. They look excellent!!!

Dear Sheeisback , I have a question, but first let me give you some background. I'm in the process of trying to work out a good technique applying the Gel Stain with the good version of the sponge brush you showed in the picture, but I'm still getting streaks even though I applied the stain in a thin manner. So I ended up wiping the stain off twice now so that the color is very even but very light with very dark grain lines. I did prepare the builder grade oak cabinets by washing off any grease then wiping with mineral spirits and then sanding with 120 grit sanding sponge and wiping off the dust with a tack cloth before applying the first coat of gel stain. Could you please describe your technique in detail in applying the gel stain to the cabinets with the foam brush? Thanks!

Jeff - I was looking for this post to give another update and just saw this. I apologize I didn't see it sooner. I'm not on this board a lot. I hope you were able to make something work for you.

Using only a little on the tip of the foam brush, working in sections, once I got the product on I tried to even it out the best I could. Pay attention to the pressure you're using and be consistent. Resist the urge to go back and keep fixing it. I'm a perfectionist and this was hard. I can see where someone might be in a panic after one coat because it's not even or pretty, and coat number two isn't much better. I didn't like the cabinets until I hit three. And the decision to add another made me nervous because I wasn't sure if it would completely cover the grain and give me a painted look. I didn't thankfully. Just take your time. You'll find a groove once you get going.

As for the update, they're still holding up great. No wear marks and no fading.