How to Use Gel Stain on Wood Chairs

Megan
by Megan
4 Materials
$25
2 Hours
Easy

Gel stain is an amazing product! Did you know you can get a stained look without sanding!? Gel stain is more of a hair gel consistency. It stays where you have applied it and provides a beautiful stained finish! (Note: If you are wanting to see the wood grain through your stain you will need to sand first.)

Chair Before

To begin, make sure your chair surface is clean. I lightly wipe this chair surface with a shop towel. Once Chair surface is clean take your foam brush and lightly dip it into the Java gel stain. Apply gel stain in up and down motions. For this project I did NOT wipe away the excess gel stain. I let it sit on top of the surface.


Let first coat of gel stain dry. Once dry Add another layer of gel stain.

Adding second coat of Java gel stain

When applying the second layer of Java gel stain it should look similar to the above picture. For these chairs I added three coats of gel stain. You want to make sure that the original underneath finish is completely covered.


Once stain has dried you are ready to apply General Finishes Gel Stain Top Coat. I like this top coat because it is also a gel consistency. :) It goes on smoothly and your project will look super shiny when it has dried.


With a new clean brush apply two to three coats of General Finish Gel Stain Top Coat. Making sure to go in up and down motions and letting the coats of gel stain dry in-between applications.


I also added 3 coats of the top coat. These chairs are going to be used quite a bit. Add as many coats as you think will be durable enough for your surface.


PRO TIP: Lightly sand in-between coats of gel stain to get a super smooth finish.

Completed chairs

When gel stain topcoat has completely dried your project should look similar to the above picture! :) Yae! Way to go! You did it!!


OPTIONAL: I painted the backs and legs of these chairs using Jolie Swedish Grey

Close up of gel stain

If you'd like to see the full tutorial of how to paint chairs with gel stain you can check it out here. :)


Do you have any questions about gel stain? If so comment below! I'd love to answer them. :)

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Megan
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
Next