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As I inch my way into woodworking and finishing, I have been working on one of those little you-assemble-and-finish-it kits (don’t laugh! At least not too hard). I have assembled it and put on 2 coats of Minwax Gel Stain, and I am pretty pleased with it so far. My question is do I need to do anything else to it? Do I need to sand it or rub it out or some such? Should I give it a coat or polyurethane?
Thanks!
Andrew
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The gel stains are intended as the beginning of polishing. By that I mean they contain a little dye, some pigments, probably a little varnish, some mineral spirits, and I've no idea what that makes the stuff so 'stiff'. Anyway, gel stains don't penetrate much, which is an advantage with timbers that tend towards blotchiness, but on their own they don't give much of a finish. It wouldn't hurt to lightly rub down with wire wool (0000) grade, or 320 grit abrasive paper, dust off, and wipe on (with a rag) a coat or three of something like a wiping polyurethane varnish, of which one brand is Minwax- available at most hardware places- that would seal and protect the surface a bit more. I could get all technical, but for a beginner, my guess is a quart of the wipe on Polyurethane might be as good a way as any to proceed from where you now are. Follow the instructions on the can, and I think you'll be more than happy with the result. Get a bit more complex with your next project; build on your experience, etc., etc.. Slainte, RJ.
*I have used bartleys gel varnish with good results.
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