Quick and Easy Gel Stain Tutorial

I've been a fan of gel stain for some time now. Just brush on one coat and your done. Easy peasy! Dry time is longer than paint. It takes around a day and a half for it to stop feeling tacky. It's difficult to get off your skin, so for me, gloves are a must. It doesn't want to come off paint brushes either, so I use the cheap throw away brushes.

Before:

Here's an ugly laminated table I bought for cheap at a yard sale with white burn rings on top.

After:

This is an example of what gel stain can do! All I did was apply one thin coat of the gel stain. I purposely made it streaky so the wood grain look and the lighter color of the table top would show through for a more dimensional look. See video clip below for a demo. Also the top will need a coat of polyurethane applied after the gel stain has fully dried to protect the top from scratches etc.

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Before:

I got a great deal on these from Red Racks, five dollars each! These are nice and sturdy too. I always take the time to sit in each chair and make sure it feels sturdy before buying.

I like using this folding table to bring projects up to an easier height to work on. Then I can fold it up and get it out of the way when it's not in use.

Yep, it looks like chocolate pudding. It's a strange texture.

I reupholstered the chairs with a curtain panel that used to be in my daughter's room. It was a nice, thick material, so it worked well.

I bought the table separate from the chairs, but now it's a matching set thanks to the gel stain. The chairs took around an hour to gel stain and an additional hour to reupholster. I painted the legs of the table black. So, all in all, this project took around 3 to 4 hours.

Here's a better photo of the legs and trim around the top that I painted with a black latex paint.

Thanks for stopping by. Have an awesome day! Feel free to leave comments, questions, and suggestions. I'm always learning new things and love to share what I've learned so far!