Gel stain blotchy

I would soak a rag with mineral spirits and wipe it down with that. It should mostly dissolve the stain and you could spread it out again, wiping with the grain to wipe down the entire top. I would wipe over it once to soften up the stain, then a second time using the same rag with the now mineral spirits/stain mix to even every thing out (hopefully). It may come out lighter than you want so you may have to give it another coat after it dries. Next coat, do not leave it sit and dry at all. Wipe it on, and wipe it off immediately, really rubbing it down. If the mineral spirits don’t do the trick, lacquer thinner will for sure, but will completely strip it.

-- Dale Manning, Carthage, NY

Yeah, looks like the stain didn’t get wiped back in time. Java is one of the hardest gel stains to get right. The color varies so drastically depending how much pressure you use when wiping off the stain.

I would refinish the top and add a seal coat of shellac between the candlelight stain and the java gel stain for better control.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

pintodeluxe- I thought about sealcoat and even did some sample pieces with and without it. There wasn’t much difference so I decided not to bother. Maybe I should have anyway.

DaleM- Do you think it will matter how long I wait to wipe it down? I thought I was wiping it off pretty quickly in sections but doing such a large area (84 X 48) is tricky.

-- Dave, York, PA, Wildside Woodworking

What kind of wood? Just wondering.

-- Shooting down the walls of heartache. Bang bang. I am. The warrior.

It’s an ash table.

-- Dave, York, PA, Wildside Woodworking

DaleM- Do you think it will matter how long I wait to wipe it down? I thought I was wiping it off pretty quickly in sections but doing such a large area (84 X 48) is tricky.

- ravensrock

With the size of that table, I would probably do it in about six sections or so. I like to spray on stain, but sometimes wipe it on too which is of course necessary with gel stain, and then wipe it off immediately. When I do the next section, I start wiping it off immediately beginning with the part where it overlaps or it will end up being darker there. I had a problem with Lenmar brand alkyd stain drying too quick and coming out blotchy where it overlapped, so I diluted it with just a little mineral spirits to give me more time to wipe it down evenly. You could try that.

-- Dale Manning, Carthage, NY

I agree wipe it off and yes time matters .. that stuff sets up fully and its there to stay.. as stated some lacquer thinner may help , just be careful of the fumes and its highly flammable

I agree wipe it off and yes time matters .. that stuff sets up fully and its there to stay.. as stated some lacquer thinner may help , just be careful of the fumes and its highly flammable

- CharlesNeil

Thanks for the input Charles. So to be clear you think I should remove it completely and start over? Lacquer thinner if necessary? What if I can’t get back to it for another day?

-- Dave, York, PA, Wildside Woodworking

The drier it gets the harder it will be to get off, you will probably need some course scotch bright as well,

EDit: yes start over

The drier it gets the harder it will be to get off, you will probably need some course scotch bright as well,

EDit: yes start over

- CharlesNeil

Any tips for preventing this from happening again? Would putting SealCoat on first help? Or thinning the gel stain? The smaller sections of this project (eg matching bench) came out fine. It’s this large table top that’s giving me issues.

-- Dave, York, PA, Wildside Woodworking

I recently used GF dark walnut gel stain outside on a hot day. Working in the shade and in small areas I still knew I’d have problem with rapid drying. A touch of turpentine mixed into the stain increased its “open” time considerably. And a splash of turps on the wiping rag for when things got sticky. Worked very well for me.

-- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

rwyoung- Thanks for the tip. I’ve been seeing that adding some mineral spirits can increase the open time so think I’ll give it a shot….once I get the old stuff off :(

-- Dave, York, PA, Wildside Woodworking

I picked turpentine because it flashes off at a slower rate than mineral spirits.

-- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Turps will work .. you have to slow it down , i agree

Turps will work .. you have to slow it down , i agree
also get some help on a big surface, one wiping on the other off and haul a**