Thanks for your reply, so at least I know it should dry somewhat, we had a hot day and the finish felt a bit better, I used 400 wet sand paper on a block of wood followed by 000 synthetic steel wool, to rub down the stain a bit so it is not as thick, and hopefully cure better.. adding some water too I have alot of control. It brought back some of the grain details in areas that are too thick. At this point I am going to continue with the finishing without stripping. The pillar is the solid oak, it has not been rubbed yet but but it might become too light if I do. With this minwax stain, there was just no way I could achieve this level of color without glazing and dry brushing, at least on oak. I wish I researched more and used a more professional stain product that gives less headache, the repeated coats really left alot of bubbles and particles.. hopefully the layers of clear coat will embed and give a flat surface and hide the imperfections a bit. Note this is the english chestnut color and I had originally not planned to go this dark but the uneven tone of the stain kind of lead me to this. I am going to use a spray can sanding sealer that dries in 15-30 minutes it should not be enough time interact with the finish, especially if I left the stain cure for longer.

If it has a proper protective finish on it, it shouldn't "stain" at all. Things should just wipe off with no damage as per the cabinet line passing the KCMA testing. Now grout and mortar have a strong chemical bond to just about anything. Removing it means abrasives and damage to the underlying surface results from using abrasives, including scotchbrite. Replacement door time for that, paid for by the one who damaged it.

Excellent point Cat mom. Don't allow any carbon steel items to sit in a stainless sink either. If you have anything with even a little rust on it (including cast iron pans), allowing the carbon steel to contact stainless will contaminate the stainless with carbon and you will get rust. They make stainless steel wool which is excellent (I use it in my stainless pans if they need scrubbing). Also....avoid chlorine bleach on stainless. Stainless is attacked by chlorine and the result is pitting of the stainless.

When I was with Habitat in central Texas, my affiliate was near a city that had a big retirement community. Every time a new resident moved in they changed out the lighting and appliances and sometimes cabinets - those items sold so quickly because they were nice and someone new. Many habitats have a partnership with brand names or local businesses that donate discontinued or overstock items. When we moved into our short-term purchased home in Fort Worth I donates a laundry cabinet set with countertop, extra dryer venting, and all the weird shelves in every bedroom. And then when we had to get a new roof I asked the contractor to save the downspouting and one window we had to replace because the only thing that was broken was a chip in the exterior frame. Habitat is always great as a resource when we move because we had extra paint from our whole home interior project and gardening items. We're building a house in Raleigh and purchased standard lighting and fans so when we're ready to upgrade we'll donate them.