gel stain brush strokes/streaks


fazi13

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hi I'm refinishing an old coffee table that we have and sanded it down with 120 grit to remove the old finish then lightly with 220 before staining. I applied the minwax pre-stainer let sit for 15 minutes then wiped it off and proceeded to use minwax ebony gel stain. I applied the stain with a brush, let it sit for 3 minutes then wiped it off with a towel(like a hand towel). after waiting for 24 hrs, I came back and saw that there were either brush strokes or towel streaks from the wiping. some of them were also a milky color and looked like a hologram.

anyways to try and fix it, I applied a second coat and waited 24 hrs and then tried lightly sanding with 320 grit sandpaper. but it seems to have fixed most of the brush strokes but now has removed random blotches of the stain and the clear streaks that looked like holograms still remain.

 

I've read lots of controversial statements on gel stains. Some have said that it works great and helps in fixing blotchy areas since it stays easily. others have said it didn't penetrate the wood deep which is why I think I might have gotten random blotches of stain removed. some have said to never use it. I got a quart of it for free from my dad's friend who used it to stain their kitchen cabinets. but I haven't seen them in person. I'm also not even sure if they wipe the stain off. I believe they might have just left it on to dry like paint because they seemed a bit confused when I said I was wiping the stain off. 

 

basic questions:

1. should I have used a softer towel or microfiber towel to wipe off the stain?

2. should I resand the surface and try a normal oil based stain not the gel stain? or

3. is there any other way to fix the brush strokes?

4. the gel also dries very quickly so I tried staining in small sections. now there are visible lines between each. is there a way to blend them together? 

 

I'm new to staining so any help is appreciated. 

Edited by fazi13
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I just follow the directions on the can. Make test panels from stage scraps. Sand and prep them same as the project. Take careful notes on the back. Most stains are supposed to be wiped back, not left on overnight to dry. Read the directions.

Over sanding to too high of a grit will result in lighter stain absorption . Careful sanding to maybe 120 or 150 may give darker results.

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I just follow the directions on the can. Make test panels from stage scraps. Sand and prep them same as the project. Take careful notes on the back. Most stains are supposed to be wiped back, not left on overnight to dry. Read the directions.

Over sanding to too high of a grit will result in lighter stain absorption . Careful sanding to maybe 120 or 150 may give darker results.

the final sanding was done with 220 grit and the stain was wiped off after 3 minutes. 

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Hey Faz, 

I gotta side with what Steve said (Wdwerker), sanding to a  higher grit really limits what any kind of stain is able to do.  Depending on the type of wood, it may actually cause problems with un-evenness in appearance.  Personally I wouldn't sand any higher than 120 for stain treatment..

If you're looking for a smooth finish, that appearance will come with the post stain finishing process; not necessarily when doing the stain...

At this point what I'd do is sand the surface flush with 120 (not paying attention to what the appearance looks like at ths point) and re-apply another stain coat possibly mixed with an extender / thinner to give more working time to wipe off before it dries..  

Even-ness comes from the number of coats; not necessarily how it's wiped off..  Hard to explain, but hope this makes sense :D

 

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I just follow the directions on the can. Make test panels from stage scraps. Sand and prep them same as the project. Take careful notes on the back. Most stains are supposed to be wiped back, not left on overnight to dry. Read the directions.

Over sanding to too high of a grit will result in lighter stain absorption . Careful sanding to maybe 120 or 150 may give darker results.

But how practical is it to make test pieces when you are refinishing instead of making something from scratch?

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