I don't reccomend going back to 180 after you have already sanded to 220. Same as Mac I don't use gel stain either so I'm drawing on experience gained while useing wiping stain. The reason course grit is suggested is because it cause's more stain to be absorbed and darker results. I can control dept of color with wiping and get better pop but no so with gel. Exactly why did you chose gel?

I would hand sand with the grain using 150 grit before the gel stain.

Casey

Thanks for the advice. Honestly, I don't remember why I became so sold on using gel stain for this. I started this over a year ago, then my husband wanted his garage back and stuck my table and 4 chairs in the basement. It became "out of sight, out of mind" as I went on to other projects. Also, I can be a bit of a "procrastinating perfectionist"--if I worry it won't come out right, I procrastinate and sometimes never get started, or in this case, finished.

A friend had used the GF's gel stains before and liked it a lot. I've already purchased 2 colors (and mixed to what I wanted) and the topcoat. It's not cheap, so I will stay with this.

This is my first time at doing anything like this, so I'm just hesitant to mess it up. The sanding went great (it was an old honey oak solid wood pedestal table) as did the spray priming and painting of the chairs and table base (Rustoleum satin black). Then came time to stain the seats and table top and got interrupted as I dithered about the Gel topcoat wipe-on urethane.....

So, another question: Can I use the same topcoat on the spray-painted part of the furniture as I'm using on the stained surfaces? The chairs have spindles, and I can't imagine not getting some on them to begin with. Everything is oil-based, so hopefully it'll be fine?

Thanks!

I don't think paint will benefit from topcoating but stay with same brand/product if you decide to..

Thought I would update in case someone searches for this same answer somedays.....

I did lightly sand back over the wood with 180, but couldn't really tell if I did enough to make a difference. I used 2 coats of General Finishes gel stain, which I absolutely loved using. I let it dry for a week (days longer than the can says because I'd read somewhere that some folks have had an issue with the stain lifting when rubbing on the gel topcoat, but they probably "painted" it on whereas I treated it like a stain--wipe on, wipe off excess. I did NOT have any problem.).

As for the spray painted parts (oil-based Rustoleum), I didn't like the roughness of the final spray, so I lightly sanded which changed the sheen, so that decided for me to use topcoat on it, too. The General Finishes gel topcoat (oil-based) worked like a dream on everything. I couldn't believe how forgiving it was. This was the stage I most dreaded because I didn't want brush strokes (remember I've never done anything like this before, so no experience with any product). Anyway, I watched several videos on its application and got started. The table top was simplest, but even the chairs look flawless despite lots of "wipe-overs" because of all the spindles, etc.

I'm about finished--the table top gets 5th coat today (will probably do one more), and the chairs get their 3rd. I want to do more on them, too, but I'm anxious to put this project behind me and start my next one. Now to have patience to let this fully cure.

Congratulations and thanks for the update. I would love to see pictures...

Thanks, kudzu9.

When I get this in the kitchen (in 30 days--I need the full cure time because I have cats that won't understand "don't use the chairs!"), I'll try and remember to come back and post a pic.

Thanks. Untrainable cats adds a whole new dimension :-)

I'd love to see pics too. I use gel stains sometimes - usually on reclaimed wood that needs some touch-up anyway - and find them easy to use with consistent results. For topcoat I usually wipe on Arm-R-Seal with a rag, but based on your experience I'll have to give the GF gel topcoat a try on a gel-stained project. Thanks for sharing.

I would love to know if Arm-R-Seal is as easy to apply and leave as smooth (unblemished, no marks) a finish. I need to find someone who's used both to tell me. I have a few more projects to work on now that I'm not so scared of messing things up. I had chairs with spindles, and even trying to do my best, they still looked blotchy (at top and bottom) when I applied the gel, but when it dried? Perfect!