Varathane 224453H Premium Gel Stain, Quart, Natural

Easy to apply, this gel stain gives a nice sheen and uniform color to any wood. I used it on doors and floorboards that now look like a million bucks. I found sanding currently-stained woodwork, then washing down with TSP mixed per instructions gave best results. I have not used on unfinished wood, though. A few notes: I apply with a sock -- and wear latex gloves underneath: you get great control, it doesn't stain your hands and: gives purpose to all those leftover white socks whose mate's gone missing... Also: if you spill it on carpet (like I did!), don't fret: WD-40 took care of it! Spray, let set about 10-15 seconds, then rub two or three swipes. The stain disappears!

this was thicker than i expected, but went on smoothly. great cherry color, two coats gave me exactly what i was looking for. not too smelly, took about a day to fully fully dry. recommend polyurethane over top, to seal it all up. perfect size to cover a ceiling-height cabinet about 1 foot wide.

I bought this not even caring about the color; I just wanted to try the gel stain. I just bought a 2300 square foot home with 90s style golden oak on every wood surface in the house. I. Hate. Oak. I felt bad painting it, because it is actually nice wood. But I didn't want to have to sand all of the varnish off and re-stain all of that woodwork. Granted, this does take a few extra coats, but each coat takes significantly less time (for me at least) than painting / staining. I'm planning on doing all of the trim and doors, as well as the kitchen cabinets. A quart goes a looong way. I did 3 coats on my kitchen cabinets (medium-sized kitchen), and I still have half a coat left. Not only is it the easiest to apply, with the least amount of prep work, but it also is the cheapest. I'll probably spend $50-70 on my entire house, vs. well over $100 in paint. If you want tips on how to successfully apply it, I would suggest watching a couple of youtube videos. I spent about ten minutes watching them, and jumped right in. I think it turned out pretty good! I did find that a sock was the best.

Used this to stain a fiberglass door. I applied with 3" wide foam brushes. If you don't care about look then it can be applied very fast; however, if you're looking for a true oak wood like look it takes A LONG TIME to spread and touch up areas that are too light and remove from areas that are too dark. But if you're willing to put in the time the end result on a fiberglass door can look very nice.Two notes:- It takes FOREVER to dry to the point where you can put on finish coats of urethane. I sped up the drying process by standing the door up in my basement, aimed a running fan at the door, and cranked up my dehumidifier. It still took 8-10 hours- Some have complained about the stain being green. There definitely seems to be a green tint in the can. The only thing I can reco here is to thoroughly mix before using.

Gel stains produce a darker and a more even stain than liquid ones in my experience. They also don't run so they can easily be applied to a vertical surface. However, because you put it on as a paste, you will use a lot more of the product than a liquid stain so consider carefully how much you will need if you are staining a big piece of furniture. That is especially true if you are buying the tiny half pint cans. I love the Red Mahogany stain on African mahogany because it brings out the grain and gives it a deep burgandy color instead of the useual brown color.

I bought this to refinish my garage door and three storms doors It is easy to use and the results are fantastic! You’ll want to use a drop cloth. I didn’t use one, and will be spending countless hours scrubbing it from my driveway. It’s a great profduct.

This is cheap Gel Stain, I used it side by side against some General Finishes gel stain on some pine bead board that I had pre-treated. First coat of Varathane I couldn't even tell if it was applied, Generals gave a perfect uniform color with just one application, I did another to get a darker color. Varathanes second coat showed on slighter better than the first, but seeing how little showed thru it on the first that's not saying much.

I was a bit disappointed with the Red mahogany. I'm not sure if I got a bad or old batch maybe. It definitely did not turn out how I expected.First, I've never used this brand of gel stain before but have used other gel stains in the past with no issues. The color was not as rich as I would have expected with a gel stain. There were also no visible red undertones to the color, which I would expect in a red mahogany. Even after several coats. The color wasn't horrible but it was a sort burnt rustic look. Not what I was going for. Ended up going with another gel stain over top of it to achieve the desired richness and color.