3 and 4th coats of Minwax stain after 36 hours

[Dave Macy]

I want a darker but same color that I have now. This is on maple with 1 coat of 50% diluted sealcoat on it then 2 coats of minwax pecan stain. It says if you want a 2nd coat to put it on within 4-6 hours. I'm now at 36 hours and decided I want to add another coat or 2. Am I too late?

[Scott Holmes]

Yes and no... Too late for Minwax stain not too late for a toner. Sealing it with shellac made it stain much lighter (it probably did save some blotching; but the color will be much less. A better way to color maple is using a dye (too late now). With dyes you can add multiple coats and even change to a different color; more dye darker color. Dyes color the wood with out using a heavy pigment and binder.
MinWax stain has a varnish binder to hold the pigment in place this also seals the wood so you have sealed it with shellac and then sealed it some more with the pigment stain.

Best solution now is a "glaze coat" Go get a Gel Stain that is the color you need and add it over the stained piece you have now. You can leave a thin coat of gel stain on the wood surface you should NOT leave Minwax stain on the surface it should be wiped after a few minutes. See can for directions. If you used a gel stain to start with; you are good to go.

[Dave Macy]

Thanks. Yeah, I got some transtint and tried to mix some in with sealcoat as well as sealcoat that was diluted 50% and also some at 25%. I got bad streaking from wiping it on though and I couldn't get a consistent finish so I gave up on that and tried the stain. It's just too light though. I gotta say I like making stuff but so far hate finishing it haha.