I just read your thread over there, I like Minwax for oil based stains, pretty easy to work with. Ditto on the satin wipe on poly (you can find matte in spray if you're up for that). But if you don't mind a wax finish with lower luster, you might try the Restor A Finish and some 0000 steel wool, then a wax. I used it on a desk I refinished and am very happy with the soft, non-poly finish (although I generally love poly).

I don't understand what went wrong. A gel stain, assuming you didn't use the kind that's a stain & top coat in one, will penetrate. It is all in the prep work. Now if you use a gel stain, or any stain, without sanding down to bare wood, it will sit on top of the old finish. Apply with a rag and wipe off.

Long story short: It was not a success story for me and my little desk. God awful results."

What was your prep before the gel stain, and how did you apply it?

Because penetrating stains are harder to handle, we need to fix the process before you try again.

gracie and lazy, I don't know what wrong either.

For the most part I sanded everything lightly with a fine sanding sponge. It took off pretty much all the irregularities and left a nice smooth finish. It did not appear to remove any original stain or finish. I did sand the desk top more, because there were Sharpie marks I tried to remove. I ended up minimizing them enough to live with. At one of the other forums (Kitchens or Woodworking), someone told me not to sand down if I was using gel stain. So, there's conflicting advice out there.

Everyone says how easy gel staining is. I would agree, but it's for naught if the results aren't good. I was not trying to hide the grain or disguise the fact that the desk is made of oak. I was just looking for a different color. The majority of people who rave about gel stain seem to be covering their cabinets with a dark java. I don't want that.

I've refinished wood in the past, self taught, bumbling along. I stripped, sanded, stained, top coated (with light sanding in between). I still have those pieces 30+ years later and they have worn well and still look great. It was a long time ago, but I think I stained them with Watco oil.

I applied the gel stain with a sock over a gloved hand. I didn't slather it on, and didn't wipe off. There are plenty of success stories that didn't wipe off. I let the first coat dry 24 hours, three times as long as recommended after the first coat. Although I tried very hard to put on a smooth coat, there were some sock strokes I missed. Not all socks are as smooth textured as others. That was the main reason I was putting on a second coat, to even things out. I did NOT want to go any darker or more opaque.

I will not use gel stain again on this desk. I'm done with it. It's entirely possible that whatever went wrong is entirely my fault, but unless someone can explain why, I'm moving on to something else.

"For the most part I sanded everything lightly with a fine sanding sponge. It took off pretty much all the irregularities and left a nice smooth finish. It did not appear to remove any original stain or finish."

OK, if sanding did not remove any original stain or finish, then the gel stain just sits on top; it cannot penetrate. You need to get all the finish off.

I have gel stained with General Finishes with only the lightest sanding, even gel stained the fake plastic "wood" on the side of a cabinet. I also gel stained with a very light stain (Prairie Wheat or Wheat Prairie). However, while I didn't slather it on, I wiped off a little, so definitely a second coat was required. I let each coat dry for a very long time; in the summer, it took almost 2 days.

My experience has been that gel stain will come off like that if it isn't completely dry before applying another coat. Since it was wiped on but not wiped off, it probably hadn't dried all the way through.

I did a bathroom cab with Minwax's gel stain, took 2 or 3 days before I could start evening it out, which it ended up too dark in the process. I don't care for this particular gel, never tried GF's to compare.