Staining with gel stain is one of the easiest ways to take an old, worn piece of furniture and make it look like an expensive antique instead of a bad Goodwill find.

The beauty of older furniture is that, for the most part, it was built better than a lot of what you can buy today. The downside comes when you want to refinish it. For starters, all those detailed moldings and trims can make sanding impossible. And unlike new furniture, you can’t just check the product description to find out exactly what the piece is made from.

And that’s where gel stain really shines. You’re not playing the guessing game of wondering if pine will turn splotchy or maple will end up streaky. Penetrating stains can also make repairs and sanding mistakes stand out, especially on veneer where the stain can get darker along the edges or where you’ve sanded through the finish.

Gel stain is semi-transparent, so you still get the character and grain of the wood without covering it up like paint would. Because it sits on top of the wood instead of soaking deep into the pores, I find the results much more predictable…

This desk was the perfect size for a narrow, blank wall in my son’s room, and I loved its traditional shape and original brass hardware. Replacing it would have been easier, but finding another piece with that much character and the exact same size is nearly impossible. So, I just patched up the bad spots and used gel stain to bring the mismatched wood tones back together.

What I Used to Refinish the Desk

These are the exact products I used. I linked the Amazon listings for convenience, but most of them are also available at Lowe’s or Home Depot: Klean-Strip Odorless Mineral Spirits, Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner, Varathane Semi-Transparent Gel Stain in Kona, Varathane Oil-Based Ultimate Polyurethane in Gloss, Rejuvenate Exact Match Wood Repair Markers

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How I Repaired & Stained the Desk with
Gel Stain

1. Remove the hardware and clean the desk

I began by removing every drawer pull, this made it easier to clean and sand around the drawer fronts. It also kept stain and polyurethane from collecting around the hardware.

Next, I wiped the desk down with odorless mineral spirits to remove grease, grime and old surface residue.

I use mineral spirits with oil-based products, but the surface must be completely dry before moving on. I worked in an open garage, wore gloves(follow the safety directions on the container).

2. Repair the damaged veneer and deep gouges

Some of the damage to the veneer was too deep to disappear with stain. I filled the larger gouges and loose or missing veneer with Bondo, allowed it to cure and sanded the repairs.

3. Sand the scratches without cutting through the veneer

The desk had enough deep scratches that I used an orbital sander on the flat areas, like the drawer fronts. On detailed edges and smaller areas, I sanded by hand . After sanding, I removed the dust with mineral spirits.

Veneer is thin, so don’t over-sand it. You can easily sand through the veneer and create a much bigger repair

4. Applying wood conditioner

If you sand all the way down to bare wood, use a wood conditioner before staining. I only had small areas of bare wood on this desk, so I followed the conditioner directions on those areas.

Varathane instructions: “Soft woods such as pine, fir and maple require a wood conditioner.”

5. Stir the gel stain slowly

Gel stain is much thicker than penetrating wood stain. The pigment settles on the bottom of the can, so I slowly stirred it until everything was mixed back in.

Don’t shake the can of gel stain. Because it’s so thick, stirring is a better way to work the settled pigment back into the stain without adding air bubbles.

6. Apply the gel stain and wipe away the excess

I experimented with a cloth, a chip brush and a foam brush. A foam brush gave me the least amount of streaks. I worked in small sections, brushed the stain with the grain, and wiped off the excess after about 2–5 minutes with a clean cloth.

The longer the stain sits before it is wiped, the darker the color can become.

If you get a dark or uneven spot, use a cloth dipped in mineral spirits to lift and blend the gel stain while it’s still workable.

7. Add another coat for deeper color

I allowed the first coat to dry overnight, but you only need to wait 2 hours. A second thin coat deepened the stain color into a rich, almost espresso-brown color and helped even out the old finish.

Don’t assume every gel stain dries at the same rate. Varathane says you can recoat after 2 hours, while other gel stains may need much longer. Dry and recoat times can change with temperature and humidity. Check the directions on the can you’re using, especially when staining over an existing finish.

8. Protect the finish with oil-based polyurethane

Once the gel stain was fully dry, I used Varathane Oil-Based Ultimate Polyurethane in gloss. Kona has a cooler undertone, so even with the amber tint from the oil-based polyurethane, I still really liked the color.

I used this Wooster white china brush to apply the finish, always use a natural-bristle brush for oil-based polyurethane or any oil-based paint. I would not use a paint roller on this type of project because the air trapped in a foam roller can cause bubbles in the finish.

After the first coat dried, I lightly scuff-sanded the surface with 320-grit sandpaper and removed the new dust with a tack cloth. I applied 3 coats.

Don’t wipe polyurethane with mineral spirits between coats. If the finish hasn’t fully cured, mineral spirits can soften or dissolve it.

This is the part that takes patience. Give the polyurethane 24 hours before light use and about 3 days before putting the desk back into everyday use. It’s tempting to rush it, but the finish needs time to fully harden.

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