Shopsmith Forums

What is the differance? I can see gel stain is like jam and regular stain is liquid. But as far as application and apperance, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Gel stain ls generally easy to wipe on and won't run as easily so it is good for vertical surfaces. It gives more working time so in my opinion it is easier to get even coverage. Some gel stains come in bottles so you have to be sure to shake well so it gets mixed properly.

Gel is the way to go. Less blotching as you can control the color some.

I used the gel stain from General Finishes on my last project and will never go back to Minwax again. It was a pleasure to use; easy to apply and get a good even color. I also had a mishap where I had to sand a small area that had already been stained and re-stain it. When I was done the patch was invisible.

Hi Mike,

The difference is that gel stains (at least the General Finishes brand) contain both the stain and the topcoat. This lets you cut down on application steps.

If you apply additional coats of gel stain, you get a darker finish (with more of the grain hidden). You usually don't see a lot of color change with additional coats of traditional dyes or stains.

After doing our master bath I became a alchemist trying to get the color on the cabinets my wife wanted. I sanded the stain off the cabinets at least 3 times and in some cases 6.
I used stain, gel stain, polystain (stain mixed with poly finish), dyes and alchemy (desparate and useless magic).

The biggest factor I found with gel stain was if you have moulding or recesses that can capture the stain it is harder to get those area's uniform. But in most other applications it seems to be superior to simple stain. Although it is nearly impossible to mix two or more colors of gel stain to get your own color. Also Gel stain has a much shorter shelf life than regular stain. So there is pluses and minuses.

I used Minwax polystain which finally worked giving me the finish I wanted but what a job. I would never never never never attempt to do it again. I ain't doing it ever again!!!!

The one process I haven't tried and I really want to is to do chemical reaction staining that Nick demo'ed in one of the saw dust sessions. Also Dave Marks on his old program would often use the process.
With it you aren't adding color you causing a reaction that generates color.

I have been told that there are some "pro" products out there and the general finish may be one of them that is far superior to Minwax.

Ed in Tampa wrote: Although it is nearly impossible to mix two or more colors of gel stain to get your own color.

Ed,

I achieved the color I wanted using two colors of gel stain. I made a sample board trying different combinations until I got the color I wanted. Rather than mixing the colors, I applied a coat of Georgian cherry and wiped it off and let it dry for 24 hours. I then applied a coat of Java on top of that and it gave me the color I wanted. I used a shellac undercoat to seal the wood befpre applying the stain and allow me to control the amount of stain I left and it worked perfectly.

tdubnik wrote:Ed,

I achieved the color I wanted using two colors of gel stain. I made a sample board trying different combinations until I got the color I wanted. Rather than mixing the colors, I applied a coat of Georgian cherry and wiped it off and let it dry for 24 hours. I then applied a coat of Java on top of that and it gave me the color I wanted. I used a shellac undercoat to seal the wood befpre applying the stain and allow me to control the amount of stain I left and it worked perfectly.

Sounds like painting with clear but colored paint to me!;)

[quote="JPG40504"]Sounds like painting with clear but colored paint to me!]

Not sure what you call it, but it looked pretty good to me.

The chest is built from solid cherry lumber except the bottom which is unfinished cedar.

Here's a pic:

tdubnik wrote:Not sure what you call it, but it looked pretty good to me.

The chest is built from solid cherry lumber except the bottom which is unfinished cedar.

Here's a pic:

Can't deny the success! Looks great! Wonder what citrusstrip would make it look like? Your description of your method implied the wood is still 'unstained'.