Need help with Stain

[Tullie Templet]

I am trying to use General Finishes (ESPRESSO) water based stain on cypress. I tried some on a scrap piece and it looks blotchy. The stain is a semi gel stain and I have never used a gel stain before so I may be doing something wrong. I wiped it on with a rag, let it set for a minute or two then wiped it off. Is this the correct technique? if not how should I do it or should I put something on the wood first like shellac or something. Thanks for any replies!!!

[Daniel Berlin]

I am trying to use General Finishes (ESPRESSO) water based stain on cypress. I tried some on a scrap piece and it looks blotchy. The stain is a semi gel stain and I have never used a gel stain before so I may be doing something wrong. I wiped it on with a rag, let it set for a minute or two then wiped it off. Is this the correct technique? if not how should I do it or should I put something on the wood first like shellac or something. Thanks for any replies!!!

I had this exact problem with general finishes water based stain on red oak.
Even with shellac pre-sealing, it blotched (quite badly).
After trying it on a few scraps with nothing, and with a few different pre-sealers (including shellac),as well as pre-raising the grain, i got the same results (Yes, i really did try 6 different pieces of wood because i assumed the problem was me).

It looks like the stuff is incredibly fussy to how hard you wipe it off, and contrary to their claims, it is hard to get the stuff to blend well (unless you are spraying it).
I gave up and tried an oil based stain and had no problem at all.