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.

We have been working on updating our home since we moved in a year ago. One of the things I wanted to do was update the garage door. It was white with brown lines on it. After we limewashed our brick and repainted the shutters and trim I started looking for ideas. Lots of people had used this gel stain to make their door look like wood. I figured for the cost if I hated it I wasn’t out much and I could always just paint over it. Turns out I love it!! It was super easy to apply after lots of stirring. You also need to stir it every so often while you’re using it. It’s been several months and it’s holding up great. We have received SO many compliments from our neighbors on it as well!

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 color and easy to use.

See my photos…the first in before and the next 2 are after. First time using gel stain, and I have to say it was much easier than the liquid/watery kind…and much less messy. Our door had already been stained in the past, but had seen better days thanks to the elements, so we lightly sanded it first. We didn’t take the door off the hinges- we picked a nice day that we could leave it open for a few hours with a fan blowing on it…it dries fairly quickly. We had to go pretty thick with it to be able to keep it looking more of a uniform color. The directions say to wait 2 minutes after application and then wipe off. We actually waited about 5 minutes and then very lightly wiped it off, doing small sections at a time. The color was a bit darker than I thought it would be, but we like it. The coverage is a bit heavier than I expected but I’m sure it’s because we left it on a few minutes longer and used a heavy application….but again, we like it. The door is 9’ tall and we did 2 coats- 2 days in between and still have about a third (maybe more) of the little can left. Yes, it’s thick like pudding…IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE. We are happy with the results and would definitely use it again.

good product for the price

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

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.