Minwax Gel Stain

I started looking for woodwork oopsies around the house and took no precautions prior to using this stain. My house has dark stained trim and cabinents and isn't new or even close to new (read, banged up here and there, random holes from objects long removed and gone and DOGS, dogs with demands and toenails to drive home the point) I wasn't looking for sheer coverage as much as I was looking to hide defects and wasn't going to try to be a pro- who has time or patience for that? Sadly not me. Anyway the results: My results were amazing when by all metrics this should have been an epic fail. The stain made me look like I was doing it right and I guarantee I did NOT do it right. I did it quick. I used a foam pad on a stick and went to town on the house. You can't tell where I did my "repairs" and where I didn't and that was exactly what I was trying to accomplish.

Works great on pine wood, much better than traditional wiping stain.

good product for the price

I like everything about this product. Easy to apply, my cabinets are 40 years old and I did very little sanding only to small knicks. No need to add a lacquer as they are very shiny. five stars and I highly recommend.

Years ago I use to sell Minwax products. Trusting the name Minwax was not a problem. Trusting my better judgement after reading many negative reviews, made me much more skeptical. However, I dove in and purchased the Gel Stain from Amazon. The walnut color wasn't even available locally. I had painted kitchen cabinets which I needed to strip first. Once that was completed, I began the framing after removing all the doors and drawers. I used a 1" wide foam brush for the cabinets framing. Once I went to the doors and drawers, I selected a 3" foam brush. This size brush just fit into the quart can of Gel. I started at each end moving the Gel toward the center. Reverse the process, starting at the other end , drawing the gel into the center to blend it together. The more quickly you move during this operation the better. You want to spread the stain out as quickly and evenly as possible. I never went back to remove any stain but allowed each piece I was working to dry about 27 hours before handling. The results were most satisfying. I can understand some of the negative comments concerning this product. There is a knack to applying and spreading it. I believe there is a tendency to try and create the perfect grain effect. There is no time for that as the product begins to set(not dry)rather quickly. Trying to rework an area after it is laid down will result in more problems than is needed. The contents went a long long way because after completing the project, I still have almost 3/4 of a quart unused. I didn't give this product 5 stars because of the rapid setup and little time to tweak your work.

For reference : I used a walnut gel stain and as you can see in my before picture, my door already had a light beige color paint on it. I never write reviews, so that should say something that I am writing this review. I can’t say enough how much I LOVE THIS! My front door has god knows how many layers of paint on it and I wanted a stained look without having to sand the door down. I was able to do that with two coats ! It has a stained wood look in person. It was hard to capture that with the lighting but trust me, it’s worth it. I personally liked it better with the second coat but the first coat was lighter and was still pretty. And it goes such a long way! Worth it !

Great stain - very easy to work with and great coverage!

After using liquid stains and poly stains for several projects a friend recommended gel stain as an option. I've used it on 3-4 small projects now and absolutely love it. I won't go back to liquid stains. The gel is much easier to control and get a uniform coating. works well with regular or foam brushes or even a glove and rag. Odor is minimal. Color is excellent. No drips. Cover with a good clear top coat and you're golden. I'll also say that this container goes MUCH further than I thought it would and I seem to get much more coverage from this small can than I have liquid stains in the past. I'm guessing that's because you tend to waste less with the gel mix. I won't be going back to liquid stains anytime soon.

This stuff is amazing, it even covers all that flat pack laminate furniture. I've used this to co-ordinate furniture in my spare bedroom that was different shades of laminate, I used a primer first so it could grip the surface. You would think the furniture was originally a set. Wish I could find and buy this over the counter in fit stores here in the UK.

Great product! Wish it was readily available in UK.