Minwax PolyShades, Gloss, Pecan, 1/2 Pint

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Worked well. Looks great. Made cabinet look brand new.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] So, I have been in the wood working hobby for over 20 years, and I am glad I tried this one out. So, most stains are the same at least the process, time cure etc. But, I have found with this brand the coloring is more gradual, so you don't end up with a dark walnut immediately, you can gradually make it darker which is great if you are trying to match colors with other furniture in your house.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Top piece was before. Goes on easy. I used an old rag to rub on. I prefer a rag to paint brush because it is easier to apply. I used two coats in the pictures. The stain brings out the grains in the wood. I like this stain a lot and plan to use it for other projects.

I do not enjoy painting and staining in general, but also am very particular about the quality of the finish, so I sometimes do projects myself to ensure quality outcomes. I chose this product because I found that the new sliding doors I thought only needed varnish to match the room actually required stain. Since I now had a coat of Minwax polyurethane one the wood, I searched for a stain that I could apply over the existing varnish. Enter PolyShades. I wish I had read the reviews first. This product is HORRIBLE to apply, especially on vertical surfaces like a door. It starts out very watery, which runs badly, and then it quickly turns gummy as you try to fix runs, leaving splotchy areas that are darker - once this process starts, you can't recover. Critical mistake on my part was to go back to an area and try to even out the color. I will now have to sand the wood back down, and start over. I want to cut my loses and switch to a regular stain, but now have to worry about color matching the trim that I have to redo with the door frame that actually turned out ok.

While I was able to get this product to apply evenly unlike some other reviews, the resulting color was much lighter than the color on the can, and a 2nd coat did not make the color any darker. My project was unstained but poly'ed chair legs that I sanded the poly off and then stained with PolyShades Royal Walnut, waiting about a day between coats. The end result is still a very light color, much lighter than my other furniture with what I'd call a Walnut finish. I'll probably end up sanding off the PolyShades and going with a traditional 2-step stain then poly.