# Gel Stain On Exterior Furniture



## vpetrill (Jun 24, 2018)

Hi, 

I am building a white oak base unit for a Kamado grill. Based on advice from a supplier who consulted General Finishes, I purchased General Finishes Gel Stain and Exterior 450 Topcoat. After applying the stain I reviewed General Finishes site to see how long to wait to apply the top coat and found this statement. 

“Do not use General Finishes Gel Stain or any oil based finish outside where this direct exposure to water. If your furniture will be resting under a cover and not exposed to direct water, you may have a successful result. We recommend our Milk Paint or Exterior 450 products instead.” 

While I don't understand what "direct exposure to water" means, exterior furniture will get exposed to water and/or snow. I am now not sure what to do. I will try to get more info from the supplier but thought I would like some info from real world experiences. 

Does anybody have experience using these or other gel stains and exterior top coats on outdoor furniture? If so, what is your experience? Does it hold up and just require the expected re-coat of top coat every couple years? 

Any suggestion of what to do now? Just move forward with original plan? Sand off the stain and apply something different? Apply a different top coat?

Your help will be very much appreciated.


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## RhodesHardwood (Jun 16, 2018)

I have used GF gel stains, but never on exterior wood. However, I think it will be just fine if it's being coated with an exterior finish (as you planned to do). I personally prefer penetrating finishes for exterior woods such as fencing, decks etc. I have tried many different types of top coating type of exterior finishes (including the GF you mentioned) and I have found that none of them seem to hold up well and all of them will peel. I've always thought that the cause of this is moisture getting into the wood and then when it try to escape it peels the finish. 

Some of my preferred exterior finishes are; Rubio Monocoat Hybrid Oil, Flood, Sikkens and SealOnce Nano Guard. Hope this helps.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

A finish is either rated interior or exterior. If the gel stain you have selected is for interior use then it won't work on exterior furniture even if you put an exterior clear over the top. There are exterior gel stains as that is what they were developed for. It was made for people that had a wood grain fiberglass door so they could apply a stain to it which made it look more like real wood.


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## vpetrill (Jun 24, 2018)

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked them up and most seem to be designed for bare wood. Assuming I find out the stain I applied is rated for exterior and given your experience with the top coat I planned on using are there any of these you would recommend for use over gel stain? I was looking for a thin, satin finish. 

Thanks again.


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## vpetrill (Jun 24, 2018)

Very discouraging but thanks for your advice. The stain is rated for fiberglass doors but I am still worried and going back to the vendor today to find out for sure. If I find out it really isn’t rated for exterior what happens when used on exterior furniture? I am guessing will it peel and cause the top coat to peel. I may have a lot of sanding in my future. Maybe a stripper will help?

I have many hours invested. Very frustrating when I thought I asked the right questions but got the wrong answers.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

vpetrill said:


> Very discouraging but thanks for your advice. The stain is rated for fiberglass doors but I am still worried and going back to the vendor today to find out for sure. If I find out it really isn’t rated for exterior what happens when used on exterior furniture? I am guessing will it peel and cause the top coat to peel. I may have a lot of sanding in my future. Maybe a stripper will help?
> 
> I have many hours invested. Very frustrating when I thought I asked the right questions but got the wrong answers.


A gel stain is like you mixed an oil based paint with a varnish. There is enough clarity to see the wood but it's still thinned down paint. If the paint and varnish are made for interior use then it is formulated to get very hard and rigid so when used outdoors the finish is too hard to deal with the additional wood movement of being outdoors and will get microscopic cracks in the finish. Then when it gets rained on or even excessive humidity the moisture will get through the cracks and under the finish causing it to lift and the finish will fail. 

If you would add pigment to a marine grade spar varnish you could achieve the same appearance as the gel stain and would hold up. A marine grade spar varnish is made softer and more flexible to deal with outdoor wood movement. Then topcoat with the same spar varnish without the pigment and you should have a durable finish. Personally I would prefer to stain the wood with an exterior wood stain and then use the spar. The gel stain appearance covers up the natural wood grain with the pigment.


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