The first time I did the front door, maybe 20 years ago, the wood stain
I got was like a sort of dark varnish. It looked great, with a nice,
even glossy finish. Doing it again more recently, I find that the
stain, although sold as gloss, is more like satin; it dries quickly and
becomes opaque (which makes it harder for me to get an even finish). It
is water-based, which might explain some of this. It looks okay, but
I'm already thinking of when I might do it again. Have I just bought
the wrong stuff, or is it all like this nowadays? I think it's Ronseal,
although I don't have it to hand. Is this one of those 'a triumph of
marketing over quality' issues?