With the oak cabinets the grain was very evident post staining.
Gel stain painted door.
Step 1 washing the first thing you will need to do is make sure the surface of the door is as clean as possible.
We have a factory white garage and front door would you recommend painting them a darker colour as a base coat before putting on the gel stain.
We ve lived in our home almost 7 years now.
Stain over paint or existing stain without having to strip your old finish.
Our gel stained garage door makeover happened one year ago so i m giving you guys an update.
Gel stain is easy to apply but it sets fast.
Gel stain usually dries very quickly especially on a sunny day.
The best way to color a steel door is with a gel stain.
Gel stain will not require you to sand the product to a raw wood finish.
While gel stain does go on thick and sit on the surface of the wood i found that you can still see and feel the natural wood grain beneath unlike paint.
To complete the graining process wait until the first coat of minwax gel stain is completely dry 24 48 hours then apply a second coat of gel stain with a natural bristle brush in the direction of the grain pattern created.
Once applied they settle into the grain of the steel door to give it a textured look.
Gel stains are thick and designed to cling to and penetrate the surface.
Affiliate links included for your convenience we used a less than 20 can of gel stain to transform our paint faded aluminum garage door.
When brushing work on each section of the door at a time and try to mimic the direction of natural wood grain.
Fortunately applying a gel stain is a great affordable alternative to replacement and will leave the surface looking as good as new.
I m worried that the white may show through when faux finishing other crafts i have painted a dark base coat first and then use a dry brush effect with a lighter colour to make the detail lines.
In fact gel stains are often applied to give steel doors the look of wood grain.
With a damp rag clean front doors and allow to dry.
Foam brushes or paint brushes i used both for gel stain application and wood sealer application.
Wet or tacky gel stain can be removed easily with a rag moistened with mineral spirits.
One quart of wood protectant i used this one how to gel stain over a painted exterior door.
To put it in more drastic terms in most cases paint will last 10 times longer and cost 90 98 less than wood refinishing.
Since we moved into our home our brown painted aluminum garage door had faded more and more.
The gel stain is thick like pudding not a liquid.
Once satisfied add the gel stain to the paint tray and begin staining.