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Lobby Dosser
 
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Default Kitchen Cabinets + Minwax Polyshades

"eternal" wrote:

I'm a total amateur when it comes to stains and woodworking. I redid
the trim in a couple rooms and decided, "Hey, I can redo my 50 year old
kitchen with some patience and a little elbow grease." I went down to
the Home Depot, picked up some minwax polyshades, an orbital sander, a
few brushes and got to work.

After taking the doors and drawers out and sanding them (first with 60
grit, then 150), I started applying the stain. I should note that the
first thing i did was test the product against a sample piece of wood.
I "painted" it on thick and let it dry. I liked the color, but it came
out really thick & gloppy. I figured it was my technique so i googled
on how to apply stains and learned about wiping (apply stain, wait 5-15
minutes, wipe off stain with paper towels). This is contradictory to
the stain instructions (and a total pain if the stain starts to dry,
and it dries quick), but i figured they made the instructions sound the
easiest to help sell the can. I thought I was doing it the harder, but
"right" way

Two coats of stain later I started thinking that maybe I should've
researched the product a bit more (as in, at all). My coats are coming
out uneven and it just doesn't "feel" right. I went on google now and
came across a number of posts on this board telling me what crap the
product is.


No matter what you have purchased, or thought about purchasing, someone
will always tell you it is crap. Sometimes they are right and sometimes
they are wrong.


My question is, what do i do now? The product is starting to look a bit
better with the second coat, but would i be better served using a
different product to help me even out the staining? Or is it too late
to do that? Should i just apply a couple more coats?

is the problem in my technique? Should i follow the instructions, apply
a thin coat with a foam brush, and just let dry?


1. I've used the stuff on a small project - oak.
2. I went to 220 with inital sanding.
3. It likes a very light coat.
4. I 'sanded' between coats with a steel wool substitute.
5. The results were fine.

What are you doing *between* coats?


Also, when I'm done, should i apply a coat of clearcoat to protect it,
or should i figure that the polyshades is enough?


That's what the *poly* part is supposed to do. My experience is so
recent, I have no ide how long it will do it.


What a pain. I wish i would've researched the product a bit more
before.


That sometimes leads to analysis paralysis. Sometimes it's better just to
get going. Even if you have problems, you learn.


I appreciate any help.

Cheers