# Gray gel stain?



## daviddoria (Dec 18, 2007)

I am looking to achieve a gray color (like this: http://www.pacoa.com/minwax-271-classic-gray-wood-finish-penetrating-stain-70048-quarts.html). I've enjoyed working with gel stain lately, but I can't seem to find any in gray. Has anyone seen something like this?

Thanks,

David


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I can't open the link with my internet. You can achieve the look of gel stain by thinning down some gray oil based enamel. Just tinker with some samples to get the formula you like and use it just like the gel stain. Then when dry, clear coat over it with a water based polyurethane. An oil based finish will yellow as it ages and alter the color. The water based will remain clear.


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## daviddoria (Dec 18, 2007)

Woops, sorry about the goofy link. Here is a better one: http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-wood-finish

Interesting - I've never used enamel. Something like this? http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/majicreg;-all-purpose-enamel-oil-base-gloss-1-gal-steel-gray

What would you thin it with? Also, the biggest advantage I've found with gel stain is the ability to sand it off very easily if something is screwed up. Will that work the same way with the thinned enamel? As I understand it the idea is that the gel sits "on top" of the wood rather than soaking in - same deal with enamel?

Thanks for the suggestion -

David


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

daviddoria said:


> Woops, sorry about the goofy link. Here is a better one: http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-wood-finish
> 
> Interesting - I've never used enamel. Something like this? http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/majicreg;-all-purpose-enamel-oil-base-gloss-1-gal-steel-gray
> 
> ...


The problem isn't the link. It's because I live in the boonies and on dial-up internet. There are very few links I can open. If their bigger than 300kb it times out before it loads. 

Any time you thin oil based enamel for this purpose use paint thinner or mineral spirits. If you were spraying gray paint for paint it would be best to use napatha. 

Oil based gray paint thinned for stain will stain the wood like an oil based stain wood. On a screw up I would wash it down with lacquer thinner to remove it. Then when dry sand what is left. With any finish you should work out the finish on scrap wood first so if anything goes wrong it should be minor. Even after 40 years if I work on a finish I'm not sure of the outcome, I make samples.


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