Minwax Ceiling Beams Project

Pre Stain

This has a consistency of water, so it goes on very thin and spreads. It only needs to soak in a few minutes before you wipe and then you’re able to stain. I like how easy it was to use, and it improved the stain coverage.

Perfect prep for raw wood

I had a surface partially finished, partially raw after sanding and wanted to make sure it would finish even. Prestaining is a simple concept; just brush this in the raw area until it no longer absorbs and starts to pool instead (obviously on vertical surfaces, it will run so have a drop cloth or drip tray ready), leave 10-15 minutes then use a clean lint free rag to wipe away all the excess. This is the stuff you use before the oil-based stain or seal, in this case, I was using Poly Shades. The...

easy to use

Easy to use product to get wood ready for stain

Ruined Project

Maybe the worst, splotchy stain job ever. What a joke of a product. Followed instructions to a T. Would have been far better to use nothing.

Wood conditioner for window frame.

A must have item for window frames. I had clear pine and tested stain without this conditioner, which came out blotchy and really dark. But with it the color went on smooth and gave me time to distribute the stain more evenly.

Definitely helped

Definitely helped apply an even stain color that we applied to a hevea butcher block countertop for some built-ins. I tested it on the bottom with and without the conditioner and opted to use the conditioner on the topside.

Make sure your prep first and don't apply to heavy

Had an old table we were refinishing, and this is a great product. I have to remember not ro apply too thick

Changes the wood color

Went on easily. I did not like the way it changed the color of the wood. I couldn’t tell that it made any difference in the way the stain came out with or without it

Worth using before staining rough lumber

Bought this for a workbench project for my son. I used it on some older, not-great-looking wood before applying stain, and it definitely helped improve the final appearance. The wood ended up looking much better than I expected, especially considering I was using leftover stain I already had around the house.

You definitely need to apply this before staining!

I’ve never used a pre-stain before, but after my first application of stain came out looking horrible, I went on YouTube to see why. Most everyone recommended pre-staining, and it definitely makes a difference in the outcome. It went from splotchy on my first attempt to a professional-looking job on my second.