Stain Drying Problem

Brook asked 10 years ago

I am refinishing my kitchen cabinets. I removed old finish, sanded, pre-conditioned it and applied Minwax gel stain. After a few dried coats, I decided that I wanted it darker so I used regular stain that I had on hand. I rolled it on with a sponge roller and left it as it was the color I wanted. I did not wipe it. 24hrs later it is very sticky. I am freaking out because I have put so much time into it and I think I have just messed up 2 weeks of hard work. Honestly freaking out doesn’t even begin to describe my state of mind……….

2 Answers
Crowder Painting answered.

It is possible that this stain combo will still dry. The new stain rewetted the gel stain. You should give it a couple more days. It is also possible that the two different types of stain are incompatible. This would require removing all your hard work and starting over.

I wish I had better news. If it seems like it is drying in 24 more hours then it should dry completely, it will take time.

Anonymous answered.

Too much stain

The problem is that you have put too many coats of stain on the wood. Also gel stain and wiping/penetrating stains should not be mixed, the wiping stain will reactivate the gel stain. But the main thing is that you put too much on with out wiping any off.

Reactivate the stain again, wipe as much of it off as you can, and ask the paint store to add a little bit of paint tint to your stain and this will darken it up so that you won't have too add so much, and thus it will dry in a few short hours. Good luck