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Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner with an oil-based stain is designed for use before staining new, soft, and porous wood surfaces, such as aspen, cherry, birch, poplar, or pine.

Water-Based Pre-Stain Conditioner is a formula similar to our water-based stains without the colorant. Before applying a water-based wood stain, use General Finishes Pre-Stain Conditioner Natural to control blotching on hard-to-stain woods, such as maple, pine, and cherry.

Maple is one of the most difficult woods to achieve a dark, uniform stain color on because it is a dense, closed grain wood and often absorbs stain very unevenly. General Finishes Gel Stains or Water Based Stains usually will perform very well because they are more topical than traditional liquid oil stains, and contain more colorants. 

General Finishes offers a complete line of oil based, water based and wax products. Application techniques differ between oil based products and water based products.

General Finishes Water Based Stains have superior qualities over oil-based stains. Their high-quality pigments produce rich, dark, uniform colors on hard-to-stain woods like maple and pine.

Douglas Fir is a difficult wood to stain evenly. A 50|50 mix of your Exterior 450 stain color and Exterior 450 Clear would be a better choice for an exterior conditioner. Blotching may still occur even with this procedure.

After applying the conditioner mix, let it dry 2-3 hours. Allow more time in humid weather. Then a apply the stain color of your choice. Multiple coats will deepen the color.

While Gel Stain can be applied over an existing finish, it was originally engineered for raw wood surfaces. We prefer applying the Gel Stain over a slip coat of mineral spirits instead of topcoat as shown in this video, "How to Apply Gel Stain to Raw Wood"

There are several reasons to choose Dye Stain. Here are a few.

An unusual combination of oils, urethanes, and wax, Seal-A-Cell Clear has served craftsman for decades as the best wipe-on clear coat to get that "natural" look on beautiful woods. The oils penetrate deep into the wood to highlight the figure of the wood, and the urethane ensures durability.

Liquid Oil-Based Wood Penetrating Stains made from the highest-quality oils, resins, and pigments to ensure your finishing project will be an easy and rewarding experience. These wipe-on stains are designed to be applied over raw wood surfaces.

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