Can You Gel Stain Laminate Furniture

My bedroom suite was currently white and wood laminate.

Can you gel stain laminate furniture.

With the oak cabinets the grain was very evident post staining. Faq s on how to apply gel stain over stain or paint. Yes i said bedroom suite. I knew there was a way.

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. The gel stain is thick like pudding not a liquid. As long as the furniture surface is smooth enough you can get away without sanding. A laminate stain can be a gel or tinted polyurethane.

Gel stain is oil based and adheres really well with long term durability. Gel stains occasionally work on laminate as this type of stain doesn t need to penetrate the material as deeply as traditional stain but. But you can t stain laminate is what they say. Several have asked me if they can apply gel stain without sanding furniture.

Otherwise the laminate will just sit in a sticky layer on top of the laminate and be tacky each time you go to open the cabinet. Gel stain is different from regular stain because it sits on the surface of the furniture instead on absorbing into the wood. It is a plastic material printed with a wood grain so traditional liquid stains meant for wood can t absorb into the material. Can i change the wood tone on any laminate furniture.

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. Can you gel stain without sanding. 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.

This process should work with any desired stain idea. Staining laminate furniture can be problematic. Laminate is not made from wood. The gel will cover up the wood grain that is in the plastic while the tinted polyurethane will allow the faux grain look to show through.

Though how to paint and stain laminate was not one i considered. Since laminate isn t real wood and won t absorb anything it s just what you need. For going super dark like creating a mocha stain you may find you ll be adding black and brown to the base. Yes it was perfect for a 12 year old girl s bedroom.