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Click on the first photo and follow along with this photo tutorial as we finish a walnut table with 1 coat of Java Gel Stain over Nutmeg Gel Stain. Completed with 3 coats of Gel Satin Topcoat. Table design by John Harryman.

For today's Transformation Tuesday, we wanted to share this project by Beth of Farm Fresh Vintage Finds.

Gel Stain from General Finishes is home of the popular Java Gel Stain featured across the nation's social media for upcycling furniture and cabinets.

We saw this bench finished in General Finishes Java

GF advises extra care and prep when applying any finish over laminate surfaces because they are specifically designed not to mar and therefore they are not very "sand-able", making adherence difficult.

In addition to this non-permeable surface factor, General Finishes Gel Stain is an oil-based product, and it is more difficult to obtain proper drying characteristics over a dense manufactured surface such as laminate. Gel stains, as all wood stains, were formulated to go over raw wood which has an "open" surface and can absorb some of the stain.

We love the look of this coffee table done by Joe Stromski. He took General Finishes Java Gel Stain and used a sprayer to apply the finish. He also used Enduro Pre-Cat to seal in that great color.

It's always possible to darken a stained surface, but you cannot lighten a stained surface after the finish has dried.

When the surface is still wet, you can try to lighten the color by scrubbing with mineral spirits. If the finish has hardened, you will need to sand down your current stain and start over or use one of our paints.

You can mix GF Gel Stain colors to create a custom color.

You can also thin Gel Stain with 10-15% mineral spirits.

Always test our color on a hidden area of your project before beginning.

Refinished with Nutmeg Gel Stain by Ge

This table would be the perfect addition to any home.

GF is ecstatic to present Saw Nail and Paint as our first Featured Blogger of 2017! 

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