The condition of the wood does not play as big of a role in the finished result of the gel stain the knots in your knotty pines will look less pronounced when the job is done.
Gel stain over laminate.
Once you have your laminate primed use general finishes dark chocolate milk paint it matches the java gel stain color.
This gel stain over stain or paint technique allows you to re cover almost any painted surface even laminate and metal without stripping or sanding off the original surface.
We do not recommend using our gels over white laminate.
Gel stains as all wood stains were formulated to go over raw wood which has an open surface and can absorb some of the stain.
Again milk paint would be a better product to use.
If it looks like a gloopy mess that.
Seal with a topcoat allowing extra dry time.
But if you take care of it and keep it clean your laminate can last up to 30 40 years.
It s easy to get the look of a dark rich stain on a painted piece of furniture as long as you know how to use gel stain as a faux finish.
Then use a washcloth to apply a laminate floor finish over the surface.
Prep with xim 400 white primer sealer bonder.
In addition to this non permeable surface factor general finishes gel stain is an oil based product and it is more difficult to obtain proper drying characteristics over a dense manufactured surface such as laminate.
Applying gel stain directly to laminate.
Open your can of gel stain.
I decided to stain the drawers and paint the body to match the dresser in my room.
Laminate is very smooth and shiny so you must sand or the paint and the gel stain won t stick.
Lightly sand the laminate with 150 grit sandpaper.
Allow the gel stain to dry 72 hours or longer if necessary.
I love two tone mcm furniture.
We have heard of success with the following preparation.
Gel stain will not require you to sand the product to a raw wood finish.
Gel stains occasionally work on laminate as this type of stain doesn t need to penetrate the material as deeply as traditional stain but gel stain manufacturers typically advise against it.
Sweep it well and run a mop over it first.
If your laminate flooring starts looking scuffed or dull you can stain or paint it to revive it.
To preserve the look of the wood grain on laminated furniture try using a tinted polyurethane stain.
It can be applied over only lightly sanded pieces just as well.