General Finishes Gel Stain
The figures General Finishes prints for General Finishes Gel Stain on its own data sheet, at the conditions it names. Where the sheet doesn't give a figure, this page says so rather than borrow one from another product.
- Dry to the touch
- 8+ h
- Recoat
- 24+ h
- Ready for use
- Not on the sheet we read
- Full cure
- 30 days
- Coverage
- up to 800 sq ft per gallon
- Thinning
- Mineral spirits
- VOC
- All colors under 555 g/L
- Conditions
- 70 °F, 50 % RH
- Indoors or out
- Not on the sheet we read
- Food contact
- The sheet we read makes no food-contact statement
One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product
From the sheet: Oil-based gel stain; GF says to finish with 3 coats of any GF topcoat.
What the maker names it for
- For: furniture, cabinets.
Against its kind
General Finishes Gel Stain is one of the products in gel stain; here is that kind across every maker we have read.
Gel stain: recoat across makers
6 h
span 6–24 h
Two sources disagree: General Finishes 24, Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) 6
More than twice apart (General Finishes 24 h, Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) 6 h), so this starts at the lower. Go by your own product's figure above.
Gel stain: coverage across makers
800 sq ft/gal
span 800–800 sq ft/gal, per coat
Only two sources publish this: General Finishes and Minwax (Sherwin-Williams)
Related
- Every product of this kind: wood stain
- If it goes wrong: blotchy stain, raised grain, sticky or tacky finish
- How much to buy: finish coverage calculator
- Every finish side by side: finish dry time chart
- What the federal rules say about finishes and food: food-contact finishes
Work it out for your project
- Plan the finish for your project
Pick the piece and the wood, then get a dated coat schedule from the product’s own sheet.