Gel Stain

[Jerry Thompson]

My daughter has some Jatoba gel stain she wants my to apply to pic. frames. The only lumber I have to try is poplar. She wants them very dark and I am not going to waste cherry, walnut, etc., on it. Anything I need to know?

[Bob Wingard]

What brand ??? Not all gel stains are equal.

[Jerry Thompson]

I am not sure, I think it is Minwax as that is all the stores she goes to have.

[Bob Wingard]

Not generally a highly regarded product, but it is workable.

On Poplar or Cherry, I would probably still want to use some form of Conditioner or Blotch Control, depending on what my test pieces show ... you ARE using test pieces, right.

[Jerry Thompson]

Yes. I have always use hide glue sizing with great reults. Or I could hit with dewaxed shellac.

[John TenEyck]

Poplar stains very nicely to look like a lot of different woods, and gel stains often eliminate blotchiness. But I'd make some samples first, and if you experience blotching then a coat of Sealcoat shellac first should help a lot.

John

[Jerry Thompson]

Bob, I just learned the gel stain is by General Finishes. Does that change the game?

[Steve Friedman]

Bob, I just learned the gel stain is by General Finishes. Does that change the game?

I am just in the finishing stage (no pun intended) of refinishing a table using the GF gel stain and clear top coat. Not sure you need the top coat for picture frames.

I am a pure novice and think I am finally getting the hang of it after going through around 2 quarts of stain and a full quart of top coat. The GF people have been very helpful over the phone. There are also a few YouTube videos.

It took me a while, bit I finally understand how flexible the gel stain is and how you can make it as opaque as you need it to be. A sealer can't hurt, but the stain will get as dark as you want it to be. The part that took me a while to get was how quickly you need to wipe off the excess and how light of a touch you need when wiping off. Here's what I learned:

1. Smooth paper shop towels work better than cotton rags. Cotton rags gets too "sticky" when trying to wipe off the excess stain.
2. You need to work in really small sections to be able to wipe off the excess stain before it starts to dry. It starts to dry really quickly and you need to wipe it off while it's wet. I am doing a 52" diameter table top and break it into at least 6-8 sections.
3. It's important to use a very light touch when wiping off the excess stain. This was the biggest revelation to me. Watch the Wood Whisperer video to see how light. Otherwise you're fighting a losing battle.
4. The GF folks suggested not sanding between stain coats. I agree. But, if you do want to sand between coats, make sure it's really dry first and sand VERY lightly. The failure to do that is why I went through so much stain.
5. The instructions say to make sure it's at least 60 degrees. Probably true. I can vouch for the fact that 45 degrees is way too cold.
6. The GF folks suggested not sanding between the final stain coat and the first top coat. They do suggest 600 grit or synthetic 4/0 steel wool before the final top coat, but nothing after the final top coat. If you're not using a top coat, I would think you need to sand before the final stain coat. The stain is very thin, so sand really lightly.

Once I got the hang of it, I really started to like the gel stain. I think I managed to make it much harder than it needed to be.

Good luck

Steve

[Scott Holmes]

You do need a top coat of some kind on a picture frame. You don't need varnish; but something to seal in the stain.

[Steve Friedman]

You do need a top coat of some kind on a picture frame. You don't need varnish; but something to seal in the stain.

Thanks Scott. I wasn't sure about that because the Gel stain is touted as not needing a top coat since the gel has varnish in it. I'm doing a table, so there was never a question that I needed a tough top coat. Do you agree with no sanding the final gel stain coat before putting on the top coat? What would you use other than a varnish topcoat? Is something like spray can shellac OK?

Steve

[Bob Wingard]

Steve, you are correct that G.F. states their product is a GEL STAIN + URETHANE and doesn't require a topcoat. They also state that customers like the way the 2nd. and 3rd. coats feel after rubbing out ... SOOO ... it looks like it is probable that if you apply only one coat, you may want to topcoat, but, if you apply more than one coat, the build might/should be adequate to allow for rubbing out directly. Either way, it looks like two applications of SOMETHING is recommended overall. Their products are very well thought of, and I would suggest sticking with them for your clear topcoating if you go that route.

[Scott Holmes]

Steve,

I didn't notice that you said table I was still thinking picture frame from OP. Yes put a General clear coat over the gel stain. DO NOT sand untill after the clear coat or even the2nd clear coat. I have used General Gel stains and they are good but they can still scrape off easier than the clear top coat.

[Steve Friedman]

Sorry to hijack, but what do you recommend after the final coat of the GF clear gel topcoat? 600 grit? synthetic 4/0? wet or dry? Just a polishing cloth? It has taken so long to build the coat that I don't want to remove any more than necessary, but still do need to smooth out the finish slightly.

Thanks,

Steve

[Scott Holmes]

Final buffing or rubbing out needs to be determined by how much needs to smoothed and what final sheen you want. If you are just smoothing, a brown paper bag, crumpled up a few times and slightly wet with mineral spiritis will buff the surface smooth without affecting the gloss very much. If that isn't enough then you will need a more aggressive tool.