# Rustoleum Kona Ultimate Wood Stain- Oil or Water based? Clotch cleanup?



## brandall (Jan 30, 2013)

I've been using Rustoleum Ultimate Wood Stain, Kona color, on two projects I'm working on. I'm very very happy with the results. Great color.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_127601-90-260154_0__?productId=3400340

But I can't seem to find anywhere whether it's a water or oil based stain? It has a label drying time of about an hour or two, which seems pretty accurate based on my experience. And the sponge applicators I'm using seem to clean up very easily with a little mineral spirits followed by warm water. 

Does anyone know if this is for sure a water based stain? It appears to be, but I'm still very new to all this. It does settle in the can, if that helps.

Also, what is the best way to clean up the wipe-off cloths? I've used both t-shirt cloth and microfiber, but I would like to reuse the cloths. We have a septic tank, which I obviously don't want to damage with the wrong chemicals going down the drain. We also live by a river where all our runoff goes to. 

So what do I do to clean the cloths? Just throw them in a bucket of mineral spirits and follow with water? Can I dump any of that in the drain?

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Brent


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Actually if it was oil based it would smell mostly like mineral spirits. I've never used it but their website says its oil based. http://rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdstyp=PROCBG&msdsprc=532 Open the msds to get the details.

With any oil stain there is the danger of spontaneous combustion. It's rare but to be on the safe side put the rags in a bucket of water overnight to prevent it from happening and dispose of them. It sounds like you live in a rural area like me. I just burn the rags.


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## brandall (Jan 30, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> Actually if it was oil based it would smell mostly like mineral spirits. I've never used it but their website says its oil based. http://rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdstyp=PROCBG&msdsprc=532 Open the msds to get the details.
> 
> With any oil stain there is the danger of spontaneous combustion. It's rare but to be on the safe side put the rags in a bucket of water overnight to prevent it from happening and dispose of them. It sounds like you live in a rural area like me. I just burn the rags.


Thanks. Honestly, I try to wear pretty good respiratory protection while staining, so I've never really compared the smells. 

The rags do harden up after a day or two, if that helps. So it sounds like by all accounts, this is an oil based stain. 

I read through the PDF, and forgive my newbie question, but which part says it's an oil based stain? Which chemical, or phrase, tells me that?

And if it is oil-based, is my only option really just to throw them away after drying/soaking them?

I do live in a rural area(still a subdivision, but still rural) and we aren't connected to sewer. 

Brent


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## brandall (Jan 30, 2013)

Also, should I be using an oil-based poly finish instead of a water-based one? I think the stuff I have is water based(haven't looked at the can since I used it a while back). It's the blue cans, Minwax poly finish. 

Brent


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The word to look for to see if it's oil based is mineral spirits. They are nearly always thinned with mineral spirits. The stain contains a resin which they are keeping guarded what it is. Normally it is linseed oil however there are a number of different products they could combine or subtituted. It might have tung oil in it or teak oil. What they do is mix an oil with pigment and thin it with mineral spirits. Some stains like Minwax are mostly dyes. 

Unless you use just wipe a little stain, I would throw the rags away. Once hard they are not even usable to check the oil on your car. This time of year the risk is extreamly small but they can catch fire on their own so I would put them away from your house anyway. Normally when I'm staining a job I throw the rags in a pile outside of my building and once on a 100 degree day they caught fire. It's just not worth the risk. 

As far as the finish once the stain is dry it doesn't make any real difference whether you use a water based finish or an oil based finish. Personally I prefer an oil based finish. It is chemically a better product but it's not suitable for light woods. Over time the oil based finish yellows and it shows up on light woods making the wood look yellow. A water based finish like Minwax Polycrylic takes more elbow grease to apply because it's very thin and takes a lot more coats. It also raises the grain and creates more sanding between coats to get a smooth level finish. It will though remain clear. Another issue with water based is for example you apply it directly to a wood like maple it looks really bland. A pre-treatment of 50/50 linseed oil and mineral spirits or a natural stain should be used to make the grain pop.


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## brandall (Jan 30, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> The word to look for to see if it's oil based is mineral spirits. They are nearly always thinned with mineral spirits. The stain contains a resin which they are keeping guarded what it is. Normally it is linseed oil however there are a number of different products they could combine or subtituted. It might have tung oil in it or teak oil. What they do is mix an oil with pigment and thin it with mineral spirits. Some stains like Minwax are mostly dyes.
> 
> Unless you use just wipe a little stain, I would throw the rags away. Once hard they are not even usable to check the oil on your car. This time of year the risk is extreamly small but they can catch fire on their own so I would put them away from your house anyway. Normally when I'm staining a job I throw the rags in a pile outside of my building and once on a 100 degree day they caught fire. It's just not worth the risk.
> 
> As far as the finish once the stain is dry it doesn't make any real difference whether you use a water based finish or an oil based finish. Personally I prefer an oil based finish. It is chemically a better product but it's not suitable for light woods. Over time the oil based finish yellows and it shows up on light woods making the wood look yellow. A water based finish like Minwax Polycrylic takes more elbow grease to apply because it's very thin and takes a lot more coats. It also raises the grain and creates more sanding between coats to get a smooth level finish. It will though remain clear. Another issue with water based is for example you apply it directly to a wood like maple it looks really bland. A pre-treatment of 50/50 linseed oil and mineral spirits or a natural stain should be used to make the grain pop.


Wow, thanks man. Some excellent advice. I'll just toss or burn the dry rags or something then. 

As for the poly, I'll do some tests. I did numerous different tests on scrap pieces before staining to check different applicators and consistencies, with and without conditioner(even though the can says it's not needed, it still helped on this soft wood), etc. So I'll take some of my tests and do further tests with the poly to make sure I don't screw it up. 

I appreciate the tips! Thanks!

Brent


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## Mdreibelbis (Mar 26, 2013)

One of the Lowe's guys told me they don't really stock water based stain as the demand is very low. They do have it in stores and will mix up a color for you as requested but it's not a stock item. So (according to this guy) - if you're buying a can of stain off the shelf at a Lowe's you can bet it oil based.


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## brandall (Jan 30, 2013)

I think I got this at Lowes, though I've shopped so much lately that I don't remember. I don't even know if HD stocks Rustoleum or not.

It's good to know what I'm working with, though honestly, it was the color that mattered. It looks NOTHING like the color on the can, at least on the soft whitewood I'm using it on. It actually has quite a unique look, so the type doesn't even matter. I'm just glad we didn't throw the towels in the wash or anything, as I can imagine that would have been quite a mess!

Thanks for the help guys.

Brent


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## f6maniac (Dec 14, 2012)

I look on the label to see what the clean up method is; if it says clean up with mineral spirits it's oil based, and water clean up is water based.


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