This stuff is AMAZING!!!! Saved me thousands of dollars replacing these horrid oak banisters.

Here are some things I learned while doing my project.

1.) No, letting it sit longer won't save you time/coats. On my first piece of banister I decided that I was smarter than everyone else and I'd just let it soak in. The stain dried and I spent the next few hours with steel wool trying to get it off. Apply generously and then WIPE IT OFF after like 5-10 minutes tops.

2.) I began with a paint brush. Pshhh. No. Put on some latex gloves, then throw a sock over your hand and go to town that way. You'll still need something smaller for hard to reach areas but don't waste your time trying to be fancy. Use a sock.

3.) You will want to finish with a poly coat over top to prevent the stain from fading or coming off. But wait a few days. You will notice spots in different areas in different lights at different angles. Give yourself time to notice these spots and fix them before you make it permanent.

This is the first time I've used anything from this company, and I love it so much! I checked out a bunch of images on Pinterest before I bought this, because it does cost a pretty penny for only a quart of stain. It's well worth the cost though.

When I first opened the can, the first thing I noticed was the scent. It reminds me of the cherry almond lotion that I had as a kid, it smells really good! Definitely better than other stains. The gel is thick and does not drip, even when I painted on vertical surfaces.

I have an old laminate covered dining room table that I've been wanting to redo forever, which, because it is laminate, cannot typically be stained. One of the posts I found online mentioned using primer under the stain. Since it's laminate I knew I wasn't going to see wood grain anyway, I gave it a try. It works great! The primer is giving the stain something extra to grip, and the color is turning out beautiful.

I've done one coat so far, and if I had known how much I would like the way one coat looked I would have been careful with making straight lines. Using a foam brush and going in straight lines is actually giving the table the appearance of wood grain. It looks so pretty, but unfortunately I wasn't being particularly careful with the first coat since I'm planning on doing 2 or 3. The second coat I was much more careful, and the way I did it actually gave the appearance of wood grain. I love it!

The table I painted sits 6 people with room to spare, and that's without the two extra leaves, so I had a lot of table surface to cover. I only used a little less than a quarter of the container, and that's with doing two coats on both the table surface and edges and the two leaves, and I was not being stingy with application.

The first picture is after one coat, the other two are after two coats.

*NOTE: General Finishes does not recommend using this on laminate, so do so it at your own risk.

I myself rely heavily on reviews when it comes to deciding whether or not I'm going to purchase something, so my reviews are completely honest. If my opinion of the quality of this product changes, I will update my review accordingly.

Please let me know if my review was helpful to you by voting yes below, and let me know if you have any questions!

ABSOLUTELY one of the best purchases I have made for home improvement. We wanted to change the look in our kitchen and one of the things we were planning to do was change the color of the honey oak cabinets that seem to predominate in this area (read as 70's swag). We had tried multiple products from other well known names (MinWax, Rustoleum, etc) and we had a test cabinet (an old one that we had taken out) on which we would try them. They all turned out terrible - the finishes were uneven and even with extreme care taken, the lines of the brush were visible. Also, the finish on most of them looked like an amateur was at work (which I am, but I don't want my work to look it). With General Finishes Gel Stain, we were in love with it from the get-go. We tried using a rag (a sock, an old t-shirt, stain pads) but none of these worked as well as a good brush. This product is self-leveling and is good to the promise (even when applying overhead and on vertical application). It was necessary to spend a little more time to thin out the coat as I went, but the results were spectacular. We initially went with Java but on a whim purchase a small can of Black. The Java was a little to brown and the Black was perfect for the look we were trying to achieve. The first coat, like everyone mentions, doesn't look the greatest, but by the end of the 2nd coat.... simply amazing. I followed up with two coats of rub on Min Wax poly to give the cupboards a little more resistance to wear. Everyone who has seen the cabinets comment how great they look and that they look professionally done. I am often critical of my work, but on this occasion, I have to agree with the positive feedback. While it is a little time-consuming to do the cabinets, it cost less than $125 to do our kitchen (the lowest quote we received from contractors to refinish them was $2500). All you need is a can of gel stain (I would up using 1 and 1/2 cans), a brush (I wrapped it in cling wrap and then aluminum foil between applications - wound up using 2 brushes total), a 3M scuff pad (used 4 total - 2 coarse and 2 finish), tack cloth (3 total) and a surface on which to work - I used two saw-horses with 2x4's with heavy ply plastic under the whole thing.

Loved this stuff! Worked great!

We did not want to go as dark with our kitchen cabinets as the java but this color is great. We have received a lot of compliments. To get the results we wanted it took 3 light coats with a foam brush (no wiping) and we used arm r seal satin for the top coat. Very happy with the results. You will need more than one can to do a whole kitchen this way though.

Also to anyone considering another brand... Don't do it. We tried minwax gel stain initially and we were very unhappy with the results. We almost gave up on the project after that but the GF gel stain was much better.