General Finish Water Based Gel Stain on Maple

[SHADOWFOX]

Folks,

Question on using a water based gel stain (General Finish) on a piece of furniture made out of maple. After ensuring that the piece has been cleared of dust, do I need to wet the wood prior to applying the gel stain or can I just apply the gel stain without wetting the wood? Greatly appreciate any info.

Thanks!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I have absolutely no idea why one would wet the wood prior to applying gel stain. Sounds like a nightmare.

Hmmmmm. Maybe you are talking about raising the grain with water, followed by light sanding after it drys. I don't know initial post sounds like applying stain to wet wood which would not work well. At any rate, even if you are talking about raising grain due to water based finish, the answer here would be no IMHO. Two factors here : Maple grain does not raise so much and second, gel stain sits on the surface and is not rubbed as much as traditional penetrating stains, thus you are not rubbing or affecting the grain.

So my answer is . . . no . . .whatever the question is!

[SHADOWFOX]

Thanks, Jeff!

So I should apply the gel stain liberally with the foam brush until everything is covered, I tried it on a test piece and there are some streak marks, is this okay? or, should I try to make sure that I apply the gel stain as much as to not have any streak marks? Or will this be taken care of after sanding and applying another coat? Really appreciate the info.

Thanks!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Try to get the application has even as possible, however remember you will be wiping the gel stain off in x number of minutes (x defined on can instructions), so superficial streaks are not going to matter. When you start wiping the stain off it will blend lap lines. Do make sure you are wiping the gel stain off otherwise it will look like paint.

It is essential to apply a wet, liberal amount of stain with a foam brush or a latex paint pad applicator to insure easy workability. If too little stain is used, the surface can dry too quickly causing an uneven appearance.

Stain a complete section and wipe off the excess evenly with the grain using paper towels or a clean cloth. Check for missed spots and lap marks before moving to the next section. Immediately correct lap marks by rewetting the entire working area with stain and wiping the excess off.