# Adding additional coats of stain days after the previous coats?



## 4nthony (Aug 9, 2020)

Hi,

I applied some Minwax stain about 4-5 days ago and after two coats, I want to go darker. The instructions say to wait 2-4 hours before applying an additional coats. Considering it's been several days, can additional coats still be added or have the original coats already cured/dried enough to prevent the wood from absorbing any more stain? There's no topcoat yet, it's just two coats of stain.

Also, does the brand of topcoat matter? I'm unable to find any oil-based Minwax near me (lots of water-based) but my local Rockler has some General Finishes Arm-R-Seal in stock. I'm guessing it doesn't matter what brand the base stain is and the GF will work fine over the Minwax, but not having much finishing experience, I thought I'd ask.

Thanks!


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## Zeus_cat (May 1, 2020)

In my experience a second coat of stain has a minor effect, but not really significant. The wood has absorbed most of what it can take with the first coat. 

As far as a second coat you have nothing to lose except some stain and time. Apply it and if gets closer to the desired color that's great. If it doesn't absorb then just wipe it off. 

What kind of wood and what color stain?


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## 4nthony (Aug 9, 2020)

Zeus_cat said:


> What kind of wood and what color stain?


Thanks for the reply. 

I'm using red oak (ply & hardwood). I stained it with Jacobean, but was thinking of adding a coat of Dark Walnut, which, according to this (last image at the bottom), is a bit darker.


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## JZWOOD (Nov 8, 2020)

STAIN IS NOT PAINT. I was helping a friend make some stair treads several years ago and he wanted an almost black look. He put on several coats of jacobean until he got the color he wanted. They were coated with a clear finish and looked fantastic. I also helped do the installation. After making the first cross cut we noticed the finish was pealing off and the coats of stain did not stick to each other. In this case he did not wipe the stain in between coats. The entire job needed to be sanded again and done over. Follow the instructions and do a test sample with extra pieces of the same wood.
Instead of an additional coating of stain you may be able to tint the clear top coat and apply several coats to get the desired color you want. I don't know what you would use for tint, but I have used universal paint tints in the past. This is the same stuff they mix in your paint at the paint store and can usually be purchased in small tubes. This is done quite often when finishing wood flooring to get the desired color or tone.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

One thing I have to HARP to my clients about my kayak kits and finishing is 'ALWAYS TEST ON SCRAP'. So much cheaper than ruining a skin. Same applys to woodworking.


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