# Old Masters gel stain I need serious help



## Paula Madeiros (Nov 12, 2016)

Hello There 

I'm looking for help I have sanded (3 times I might add ) an old oak table ( as was the standard orange colour ) . I have applied old master gel stain in Spanish oak ... Did a 2nd coat as I wanted it darker waited for it to dry for a week, was not drying so read that humidity and rain can add to this , well I live in Vancouver it's rainy so then put table in a heated area of the garage , was still tacky in spots after a week , so thought in my ignorance I could give it a light sanding which was ok , except the one spot was a little heavy handed and too much stain came off, so re applied another coat, but only to find it wiped off the stain almost down to the 1st coat ...yikes what have I done ... It's seems like applying another coat has reactivated the 1st . Without having to sand down the 1/2 table again what can I do to get this area to look like the rest of the table ....it's been 6 weeks since I started and Getting rather mad at myself for taking this on.... Would like some help with this please ...Thank you ..... Desperate in Vancouver BC


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

First of all sanding a finish off is a poor way to start a refinishing project. If there is any waxes or polishes you end up rubbing them into the wood. This can cause a chemical reaction with the new finish. Any refinishing project should start with a wax and grease remover followed by a methylene chloride type paint and varnish remover.

As far as color it is always best to test the stain on a piece of scrap or a inconspicuous place before doing the whole thing. If the color is too light then a darker color should be selected. 

There is no telling what may have caused the stain not to dry. Was it thoroughly stirred prior to using it? It might have been a chemical reaction with something on the wood. It being rainy certainly could have extended the drying time however it wouldn't have caused it to take weeks. It could have maybe caused it to take three days to dry. It's also possible the gel stain was defective. In any case the solvents in the stain have stripped the stain off with the second coat so the only fix at this point would be to strip it and start over. There is something very wrong going on and if you managed to touch it up and make it dry there is no reason to believe the finish won't peal off on you.


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## Jesse Blair (Oct 9, 2016)

I hate to say it, but if it were me, I would just strip it back to bare wood and start over, maybe with a new can of stain, in case the one you have is old or defective in some way.


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