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Woodworking Math

Wood stain

Minwax Gel Stain

The figures Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) prints for Minwax 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
Not on the sheet we read
Recoat
6 h
Ready for use
Not on the sheet we read
Full cure
Not on the sheet we read
Coverage
200 sq ft per quart
Thinning
Not on the sheet we read
VOC
Not on the sheet we read
Conditions
Not on the sheet we read
Indoors or out
Interior
Food contact
The sheet we read makes no food-contact statement

One source: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), the maker of that product

From the sheet: Recoat is the page’s spec figure; its directions say to wipe the excess after 3 minutes, recoat after 8–10 hours to darken, and wait 24 hours before a topcoat. Non-drip, for wood, veneer, fiberglass, metal and molded fiberboard.

Against its kind

Minwax 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

Work it out for your project

Sources

  1. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Gel Stain product page, read 2026-11-08.

How the tags work: How we source every number.