General Finishes Exterior Stain Splotchy

[Travis Fatzinger]

I've used a lot of GF products before but this is my first time using their exterior 450 stain. The project is a white oak screen door applied with a foam brush. I sanded from 80 to 180 as per the label. Some of the splotches seem to be due to the wood itself, while others were brush marks. I realized it was drying quickly so I started working in smaller patches.

Without waiting very long, I tried a 2nd coat. While this got rid of some of the brush marks, the other splotches staid. I will try a 3rd coat after letting it dry 24 hours. Would wiping the whole door down with clean water before the next coat help even things out? Any other thoughts on what I did wrong?

Thanks!

1st coat

1st coat.jpg

2nd Coat
2nd coat.jpg

[Wayne Lomman]

It looks like the stain was applied wet and allowed to air dry. I would sand it again and restain it.

A better technique is to apply it wet and then wipe it dry with a clean rag. Stain it rail by rail minimising the overlap onto cross grain. Avoid stopping halfway along the length of a component. Be prepared to stain it more than once to get the colour you want. If you get dark patches, sand them finer and then restain. I stain with rag rather than a brush or else spray then wipe. Cheers