Hello--

I'm in sort of bind, and maybe one of you would know the answer. I've
been staining my downstairs cabinets with mahagony gel stain from
minwax (wood is oak). In any case, when I first started doing it I read
the wrong instructions on the can (did the fiberglass door ones, had
never seen a can of stain with multiple ways to apply it). Instead of
wiping it off, I brushed it on thinly and then let it dry. The result
is a color pretty close to matching what it's supposed to be with a few
light spots.

I did all the cabinets a few months ago and thought nothing of it (was
waiting for countertop to come in). When I started to do the side
panels that attach to the cabinets after the countertop came in, I
noticed that it wasn't turning out as good as the first cabinets,
showing more brush strokes and stuff--that's when I noticed that I was
supposed to wipe it down after 3 minutes. That's where the issue comes
in--I tried the 'real' instructions, and it looks like crap. Instead of
mahagony, it comes out looking like a redish medium oak--definitely not
dark enough. I've tried additional coats, doesn't seem to really do
anything. Any suggestions? I'm pretty frustrated at the whole thing.
All I want is the color from my original way without the brush strokes
if possible. The brush strokes don't actually look that bad, they kind
of add an antiquish look. Thanks. Is there another stain that would
work better? If I had to I could strip off what I've done.

Taylor34