General Finishes Water Based Wood Stain, 1 Pint, Graystone

This is neither oil-based nor a gel stain. It's a water-based stain. So at least the photo is accurate, but I was hoping for a water-based gel stain.

It is not a gel stain.It is a water base stain

If your not familiar with general finishes do some research BEFORE purchasing so you understand what your doing and how this stain works!Tips: stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir and STIR! It comes very thick and chunky. This is normal. Do not use steel wool (small steel will get embedded and rust over time) this is a WATER based stain. Finish with a top coat. GF high performance flat is amazing.This product is thick and not like traditional stain. The color is amazing and prior to the grey stone color, very difficult to achieve. Applying will wet the wood during application and may look odd but TRUST it will dry beautiful. This color looks like it came straight out of the Homegoods Store.I used to have to use 3 stains and a spécific technique to get this color.Packaged with care. I've had issues with GF arriving exploded in the past but this seller clearly knew how to ship stain. The metal rim peices secure the lid.

Being a creative person that loves to paint, I've worked with multiple mediums and paint/stain 'platforms'. General Finishes makes an awesome product and this water-based stain was even better than I anticipated. The color was perfect...not too milky and not too much color. (A little goes a long way.) The consistency was thin and easy to work with which is typical for water-based stains; although gel-stain are my fave. I was using it as an overlay finish for a chalk-based paint to get the Restoration Hardware look and it was sheer perfection! Clean up was easy breezy since it's water-based...no mineral spirits or solvents (thankfully).

Every General Finishes product I've used is top quality and this is no exception. It produces a slate grey but with warm brown gaining and undertones. This particular stain is highly pigmented (sort of has to be as it is dark grey) almost like a thin milk paint. I've had good luck putting it oak, hickory and ash without a pre-conditioner. However, on cherry, maple, and poplar It will come out very blotchy without a pre-conditioner (I use 1/3 to 1/2# cut of shellac). Also, like most water based stains, it has a fairly short working time. When staining larger pieces it will need some Extender (General Finishes also makes) added to increase the working time.