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How long do you wait to wipe off the excess gel stain?
The General Finishes web site seems to indicate 12-24 hours before wiping off excess. Is that right?
Ray
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(12-12-2019, 08:37 PM)DogwoodTales Wrote: How long do you wait to wipe off the excess gel stain?
The General Finishes web site seems to indicate 12-24 hours before wiping off excess. Is that right?
Ummm. No. You apply then wipe off before it drys. Watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGMJWz3mnEo
I think you are thinking about the drying time before you can seal the stain with a clear coat.
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Thanks! Idk why I didn’t find that video in my searches.
Ray
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I wipe it on and then wipe off as much as I want to immediately. The amount wiped off is determined by the shade I want to achieve.
It is important to let it fully dry prior to top-coating however.
After seeing the worn areas on the displays at Barnes and Noble, which show up as nearly white, I now use a penetrating stain then a gel to achieve the right color on pieces that will receive hard wear.
The penetrating stain ensures that the worn areas will remain a brown color rather than showing up as white.
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(12-12-2019, 08:37 PM)DogwoodTales Wrote: How long do you wait to wipe off the excess gel stain?
The General Finishes web site seems to indicate 12-24 hours before wiping off excess. Is that right?
mmm! Over 30 years of ww and I didn't know gel top coat existed.
Guess I gota get out more. I do prefer gel stain though.
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You need to seal the gel stain with a top coat. It doesn't have to be a special gel stain topcoat, although they do market a gel topcoat.
You can also use a good polyurethane. I've had good results with both Minwax poly and General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.
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FYI, GF's Gel Urethane Topcoat is one of their poorest products in terms of chemical durability. Even water left on it for several hours will leave a white ring that can't easily be removed. Arm-R-Seal would be a much better choice for a wipe on finish where good durability is needed, like on a table top, etc.
John