Five stains by their makers' descriptions
| Product | Type | Base | Indoors or out | Recoat | Topcoat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minwax Wood Finish | Penetrating stain (dyes and pigments) | Oil | Interior only (label) | 2–4 h by colour | After 4–6 h; Polycrylic once fully dry |
| Minwax Gel Stain | Gel stain | Oil | Exterior use with Helmsman over it | 8–10 h | Minwax polyurethanes; Helmsman outdoors |
| Minwax Wood Finish Water-Based Color Stain | Semi-transparent stain | Water | Not stated | Second coat optional; dry 1 h | Polycrylic |
| General Finishes Gel Stain | Pigmented gel stain | Oil | Not stated | 24+ h | Three coats of a GF topcoat |
| General Finishes Dye Stain | Dye stain | Water | Not stated | 2 h | Three coats of a GF topcoat |
From Minwax's product guide and data sheet and General Finishes' data sheets (GF at 70°F and 50% humidity). What pigment, dye and gel stains are is explained in the stain guide.
By the wood
- Woods that blotch. Minwax names pine and spruce, and alder, aspen and maple, as woods that absorb stain unevenly, and says to use its conditioner on them. General Finishes recommends its gel stain for more consistent colour on blotchy woods such as pine. For pine or maple, plan a conditioner or a gel stain, and test.
- Figured woods. General Finishes points its Dye Stain at figured woods.
- Over an existing finish. General Finishes says its Gel Stain can go over existing finishes after an adhesion test; Minwax says its Gel Stain also works on some non-wood surfaces.
- Holes and defects: fill before staining with a filler its maker says takes stain — see choosing a filler.
- Any wood: test on an offcut first — see a stain sample board.
By the base
The base sets the conditioner, the cleanup and the grain-raising. Minwax's oil-based conditioner goes only under oil-based stains and its water-based conditioner only under water-based ones; water-based stains raise the grain, so the wood is dampened and sanded first. Check that the topcoat suits the stain too: Minwax says Polycrylic should wait until its oil-based Wood Finish is completely dry, generally about 24 hours. The steps are in how to stain wood.
Indoors or outdoors
Read the label first: Minwax's Wood Finish is labelled for interior projects only. For exterior wood, Minwax tells users of its Gel Stain to topcoat with Helmsman Spar Urethane. The Forest Products Laboratory's guidance on exterior semitransparent stains is that they should be oil-based with the oil modified into an alkyd resin, contain inorganic pigment and a fungicide — usually labelled as a preservative — and a little wax; it adds that so-called solid-colour stains form a film and are really paints. Decks, fences and siding need products made for them and are not covered here.
Note— A stain is not a finish
Every maker here calls for a topcoat over its stain. Choosing that topcoat is in choosing a polyurethane. Oil-based stains bring rag-fire risk; see finishing techniques.
Before buying a stain
- The wood: blotch-prone species need a conditioner or a gel stain
- The look: pigment, dye or gel
- The base, and the conditioner and cleanup that go with it
- Interior or exterior, from the label
- The topcoat the maker names, and how long the stain must dry first
- A sample board on the project's own wood
Sources
Stain types and uses are as each maker describes its own product; exterior-stain attributes are the Forest Products Laboratory's. 'Not stated' means the document reviewed does not say. No stain was tested and none is ranked; deck and fence stains are a separate product class.
- 1.
Minwax Product Guide. Minwax.
Used for: Woods that absorb unevenly (pine, spruce, alder, aspen, maple) and the oil- and water-based conditioners for them; Wood Finish recoat 2–4 h and topcoat 4–6 h by colour, and Polycrylic only once it has fully dried; Gel Stain recoat 8–10 h, usable on vertical and non-wood surfaces, with Helmsman Spar Urethane over it for exterior applications; water-based Color Stain dry in 1 h with Polycrylic over it; a topcoat recommended on all projects.
- 2.
Product Data Sheet, Minwax Wood Finish (MWX132). Minwax, 2026.
Used for: Wood Finish labelled for interior projects only.
- 3.
Technical Data Sheet, Gel Stain. General Finishes, 2020.
Used for: Gel Stain as an oil-based pigmented stain for more consistent colour on blotchy woods such as pine, usable over existing finishes after an adhesion test; 24+ h recoat; three coats of GF topcoat.
- 4.
Technical Data Sheet, Dye Stain. General Finishes, 2020.
Used for: Dye Stain as a water-based dye for figured woods; 2 h recoat; three coats of GF topcoat; Pre-Stain Natural on blotchy woods.
- 5.
Mark Knaebe. Alternatives to the Madison Formula, the Original Do-It-Yourself Semitransparent Stain (FinishLine). USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2013.
Used for: What an exterior semitransparent stain should contain — alkyd-modified oil, inorganic pigment, a fungicide (labelled preservative) and a little wax — and solid-colour 'stains' forming films and being really paints.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.