Varathane 358300 Premium Gel Stain, Quart, Cabernet

I got the dark walnut because I was afraid anything else would be too light or too red for this piece. I was trying to preserve the original color as much as I could while covering all the surface scratches. I did sand it down a little before starting because the scratches were so deep on the top. As you can see it did a great job. I had to slap it on real fast because of course right when I started the pot fell out of my hand. I don’t have the workspace or the time right now to do proper projects so it was good to have something that could go on quickly and easily to make the dresser pretty again. I did use a water soaked foam brush so that the stain would go on lighter otherwise it’s basically paint and I didn’t want to completely cover the old stain color. If you have the option to do it right definitely get acetone to thin this stuff cause gel and water don’t mix. (I know it’s a crime against all refinishing to have used water like this but it worked somehow.) So it looks great until I can refinish her properly in a few years.

This stain is a very rich stain. It is easy to use. It does not run like the regular wood stain. Clean up requires the use of mineral spirit. I used Dollar Tree brushes for a faux wood finish. It takes 24 hours or longer for the stain to cure correctly for good durability. In my experience, the drying time took longer than the listed dry time on the can. It maybe due to the amount of stain that I applied to my projects but I love the end results. I sealed it with a water-based polyurethane. The price is about the same as Home Depot or Walmart. This product is versatile. It can be applied to an existing stain project for refresh the look.

Bought this to match my espresso furniture. It's a little lighter than espresso but it still is a perfect match. Also, the gel stain requires less coats to get a deeper color and good coverage. I stained a desktop and keyboard tray and still have a third of the 8 ounce can I bought.

With a lot of preparation before using gel coat , the results are amazing. I follow the instructions on the can and I watches a few videos on trusty YouTube . My diy project looks good , I did uses wood conditioner before the gel coat to get a better finish.

Good quality stain..the gel is getting difficult to find in stores. Gel gives more time to work with the wood. Longer to dry than regular oil stain.

Used to create a faux wood finish on our old green pool table.

The Stain is insanely GREAT. Looks great, No Drips, No drips or streaks.

OMG..... I love this gel stain! I used this for 6 interior doors and 2 built-in desks for a total transformation of our business office. This DIY project took my old shabby looking oak to a new modern look with this amazing black gel stain. It was much thicker than I had imagined, making it ultimately easier to work with, a quart goes a long way and I did find using a rag to apply was the best method for this gel stain. It dried fairly quickly, I applied two coats and the coverage was AMAZING! This was one of a 3 step process that I used to complete my project but this was the major part of the project and the finish look is incredible. I am very please with the outcome and very worth the small investment.