Gel stain is such an awesome product! It is thicker than most stains. It is not runny. It stays on your project well! There is some internet debate on when gel stain was invented. Different manufacturers will tell you different things. It seems Gel Stain was invented in the 1960’s.
“According to Liz Whiteley, general manager of Bartley Gel Finishes in Denton, Md., Dick Fitch (his parents owned Turco Coatings Inc. outside of Philadelphia) developed gel varnish and added pigments to it to create gel stains in the 1960s.
Gary Velikanje, president of Wood Kote Products Inc. in Portland, Ore., reports that Spe-de-way Products Co. Inc. developed the original gel stain in the early 1960s.
While the heritage of gel stains may be up for debate, there’s no argument about their many benefits.” – PaintPro.net
Now that you have a little history on Gel Stain lets add Gel Stain to a project!
Affiliate disclosure: “This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.”
I had a client find eight of these beautiful chairs at a yard sale. (She is an awesome yard sale finder!) She was wanting the chairs painted a bit lighter with a dark finish on the chair seats. Gel Stain in an amazing product for achieving a dark finish.
I love gel stain for many reasons!
- You do not have to sand before applying gel stain
- It is thicker than regular stain and goes on smoothly
- You generally only need about 2 coats for a project
Supplies for Gel Staining a Chair Seat
- General Finishes Java Gel Stain
- Foam Brushes
- General Finishes Gel Stain Top Coat
- Shop Towels
- **Optional** Jolie Swedish Grey – I painted these chairs in Jolie Swedish Grey
How to Apply Gel Stain
CLICK HERE to watch me apply gel stain to a chair! (I start to apply it at 1:56. 🙂
Begin with a clean surface. I wiped these chairs well with a damp shop towel to remove anything unseen to the eye. Once your surface is clean you are ready to apply Gel Stain. Lightly dip foam brush into the Gel Stain. Begin brushing the Gel Stain on to chair seats in an up and down motion. I did NOT wipe away the stain. I let it dry about 4 hours and then reapplied gel stain two more times. The nice thing about Gel Stain is that to see the beautiful rich color of the stain it does not have to seep into the wood. The stained finish remains on top of the surface. (If you are wanting to see wood grain you will need to sand your project first. :))
After you have applied the first coat of Gel Stain your project should look similar to the above picture! 🙂
After I applied a second coat of gel stain I let the chairs dry and added one more coat of gel stain. You want to make sure that the gel stain covers all of the original finish on your project.
When gel stain has completely dried (I waited overnight) you are ready to apply General Finishes Gel Stain Top Coat. I LOVE this topcoat! It is made to go with the gel stain and it gives a wet look even after it has dried! 🙂 To apply the Gel Stain Top Coat you will need to use a new foam brush. You can apply as many coats as you like. For the seats of these chairs I did 3 coats because they are going to be used very frequently. Lightly dip your foam brush into the top coat and brush over the Gel Stain in even coats. Be careful not to apply top coat too thick. After you have brushed on your two to three coats let chairs sit over night to fully dry.
CLICK HERE to watch me seal a chair with gel stain! (I start to apply the topcoat at 1:29.:)
Chairs should look similar to this once you have applied gel stain! 🙂 I love how gel stain looks so shiny! 🙂
CLICK HERE for applying gel stain to wood furniture
Do you have any questions about gel stain? If so, comment below and I’ll answer them! 🙂
If the stain doesn’t penetrate the wood and sits on top of the old finish how can it be called “stain? “
Hi Norma!! I totally understand how usually a stain will imbued itself into a substance. However that is not integral to a definition of a stain, as a stain literally simply means to color something. Hope that helps! 🙂
“Meaning “to color” (fabric, wood, etc.) is from 1650s. Intransitive sense “to become stained, take stain” is from 1877. Related: Stained; staining. Stained glass is …” – etymology of gel stain
I am finishing a live edge bar counter and after applying the clear gel stain I was disappointed that it brought out a lot of natural red in the wood which I was not expecting. It is English Elm and naturally didn’t look red at all. I stained it with the gel stain but it had a painted look and I want to just tone down the red. I want more of a grey look and want to see the grain of the wood. Any suggestions.
Hi Lindy! Oh yes, Adding a sealer will definitely make the natural wood grain really pop. I’ve had a couple projects like you where it’s completely changed the color of what I was working on! Ha. General Finishes does have a light grey gel stain. Here is the link for that. It is kind of a weathered grey look. If you are wanting to see the grain come through you will need to sand. And as you stain wipe away the stain. 🙂
Here’s a link for General Finishes Gray Gel Stain https://designs.generalfinishes.com/posts/weathered-gray-gel-stain#.XR-6Ey2ZNQJ
Hope that helps!
The chairs are beautiful. Can you use gel stain over paint for a similar effect?
Hi Kathy!! Thank you so much! Yes you can use gel stain over paint for a similar effect! Depending on what color of paint your are going over you made need too apply 3-4 coats to get good coverage. 🙂
Can gel stain be use on leather?
Hi! That is a great question. If you are working on like a desk that has a leather top I would say yes Gel Stain will totally work! But, I don’t think I would try to use it on a leather couch. 🙂
The chairs are beautiful. I love the dark, rich color with the light paint.
Hi Jerri! Thank you SO much! I’m so happy to hear that you like it! 🙂
Can I use it on cabinets?
Hi Maurine! You sure can! 🙂
Here is a direct link to General Finishes demonstrating how to use Gel Stain on cabinets. 🙂
This is my favorite project I have seen on here ever. Can it be used on stairs? Over regular stain?
Aww thank you SO much Geraldine! It can be used over regular stain. (It would be great to do a light sanding with 220 grit sand paper first.) I have not used it on stairs before. But, I have seen others use it on stairs! If you did use it on stairs Make sure you seal it something like General Finishes High Performance Topcoat. Its made for high traffic areas. They might even a have a floor lacquer you could use! Here is link to someone who used Gel stain on their stair banister. They give an update too! 🙂
http://www.naptimedecorator.net/diy/jave-gel-stained-banister-one-year-update/
Your chairs look absolutely beautiful.
Thank you SO much Cheryl! You’re so kind! 🙂
Hi, I love the chairs and so much better than having to sand
My question is can you do it outside? And does it make it harder if it is hot outside, just don’t have alot of space to work in the house so thought my deck would be good.
Thanks,
Gail Rolfe
Hi Gail! You sure can do this outside! I would just pick a day that wasn’t too windy so that dust or debris doesn’t fly into the stain while it’s drying. 🙂
I got an old children’s chair at a yard sale for my granddaughter. It is painted. Could I use the stain over the paint? I was thinking not.
Hi Nancy! As long as the painted surface is in good condition you can absolutely apply gel stain over the painted surface. Lightly sanding it with 220 grit sand paper before hand will help the gel stain adhere to the painted surface better. 🙂
I really love this project and am going to use it on my parents family table and chairs. What paint did you use for the back and legs of the chair?
Hi Linda! I’m so glad you like it! For the back and legs of the chairs I painted them in Jolie Swedish Grey! 🙂 Here is a link for you!
Jolie Swedish Grey
Hi Megan. Fantastic look. Love it. Question for you. I have pine chairs, and table done in light oak I want to redo. There’s a sealer of some sort on them. Do I have to sand and then use gel stain, or can I just put it over the top once I clean them well? Trying to avoid having to sand all the nooks and crevasses on the chairs prior.
Hi Carol! So happy to hear you like the makeover! No sanding needed with the sealer that is currently on your table. The gel stain will adhere great! If it helps give you peace of mind do a light sand. I have refinished 4 table tops with gel stain and have not sanded beforehand. They have all held up great! Just apply the gel stain with a foam brush! Make sure the gel stain is completely dry before adding a new coat. Sometimes this can be over night. Hope that helps!! Come back and share your project! 🙂
Here is a link on gel staining chairs. I did not sand these before!
I’m wanting to paint over my white (already painted) outdoor columns… I want a natura wood look instead without the cost of rebuilding entirely new columns … do u recommend ?
Hi Lauren! I would go with a gel stain for a natural wood look! I’ve seen many paint pros use gel stain on garage doors and it has held up great with the weather and over time. I think the gel stain would cover over your white columns well! I typically go with GF gel stain. But mini wax also has a gel stain line that you can purchase at Wax-Mart and you could see the color selection better!
Hope that helps! Good luck!
Blessings,
Megan
I painted a bathroom vanity with gel stain over paint. It took DAYS to dry (3 to be exact) now when I go over with a top coat the stain is coming off in some small areas:/ any advice? I’m using a varathane.
Hi Stephanie!
When you applied the gel stain to your cabinets did you clean them with anything beforehand? (sometimes TSP if not rinsed well after can create a resistance for the gel stain to adhere) Also are you applying the topcoat with a foam brush? When you applied the topcoat was the gel stain still sticky? Gel stain can have longer dry times depending on the humidity. What brand of Gel stain did you use?
At this point I would leave It alone for a couple days. Let it completely dry. Then go back over it with gel stain and topcoat. Letting it all dry really well can be like pushing a reset button and then adding more gel stain when completely dry can help tremendously!
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a great day!
Hi Megan!
Your transformation is amazing and all the Q&I’d are so helpful.
I have a c1950’s farm table with 6 ladder back chairs with rush seats. The wood is map!e. The top of the table has small dents and dings and a couple of places where the finish is wearing off. My question is does gel stain fill in small imperfections like chalk paint does it do you think I need to sand? Thank you so much, I’m so inspired I can hardly wait to get started!
Amy
Hi Amy! Your table and chairs sound AMAZING!!
The gel stain will not fill in the dents and dings. BUT it will hide them very well! If you would like a smooth surface I would sand just those spots a little before you do the gel stain. Can’t wait to see how your table turns out!
I am currently working on a set of chairs after using GF gel stain to do my entire kitchen cabinets. How long did you wait after applying your topcoat to use the chairs?
Thanks!
Hi Taylor! Your kitchen cabinet project sounds fun! We waited approx. 24 hours after applying the topcoat to use the chairs! Definately depends on your local humidity how fast the dry time will be with the topcoat. 🙂
Hey! Megan can you tell me where you got these chairs? I found a set at goodwill and wanted to try and find more thanks.
Hi Misty!! These chairs were actually found at a flea market!!
Oh darn, thanks for the response 😊