Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I saw this stain used for a DIY project via Pinterest. I used the same technique the blogger did... applied it with a men's cotton sock. The first coat went on beautifully. The second coat was very blotchy, but as the blogger advised, I kept the faith. After the third coat, the results were stunning! Very dark, very rich and smooth. I love the gel consistency, as it makes it much less messy and much easier to apply smoothly and evenly without the need for wiping. If you follow the manufacturer's directions, you can't go wrong. It is super easy to use, even for those of us who have no idea what we're doing! A little bit of this stain goes a long way. I bought the quart-size can, and I have put three coats on 22 cabinet doors, 8 drawer fronts, and the framing for each of these. My kitchen has a total of 25 cabinets, 11 drawers, two corner cabinets, one lazy Susan, and two 6 foot folding pantry doors, and measures approx 14ft x 11ft, and I think I am going to be just short of enough stain to complete the project. This stain dries with a fairly flat finish, so I advise a follow up with good quality clear coat. The blogger used a water-based poly by General Finishes. I used a water-based clear lacquer called Ultrastar by M.I. Campbell in a satin finish, simply because my husband works in the pre-finished wood industry, and it was leftover product that was going to be discarded. It worked fine to use a water-based clear coat over this oil-based stain. Also, because the stain is very dark, you can use a satin finish clear coat and still end up with a final product that has the look of semi-gloss. Tips: *Double-glove under your rag or sock if you use that application method *Cleanup is easy with mineral spirits *If refinishing a surface that is already stained/cleared, just give it a light sanding to scuff up the smoothness of the clear coat. No need to strip or sand the surface down to the bare wood *Several (3 or more) light coats produce better results than 2 heavy coats *Do not overwipe if you use the rag or sock method *Resist the urge to apply (what you think will be) the final coat a little heavier than the previous coats. If you go too heavy, the wood may appear to be painted black. It is better to have to apply one more coat that you thought than to lose your wood grain *Clear coat will bring out the wood grain fantastically.