Stain and poly - Which one should i use

A

A_Sig

[I just finished my stand except for a door and i was planning to stain it a dark color. I was at wal mart with my girlfriend and i stopped by the hardware section to see what they had. I saw this one jar that said "stain and poly" all in one made by Minwax. Right before I bought it I called my dad to see what he thought of it and he said he's never used the "all in one" stuff. Has anyone here used this, does it give better results than the original stuff??? Let me know, I'd be greatly thankful.]
 
[A few years ago I used some of the All in One product on a blanket chest I was building. It did not work out for me at all, the poly/stain tended to run and cause all kinds of problems. Net result was I stripped it all off, resanded and then put stain on, the a poly coat(s) after.

So avoid the short cut and do it the old fashion way.

Todd]
 
[Hey Sig,
This is Vincent from Tranquil Scape. I hope by the time you read this post you haven't used that stain & poly product. Simply just don't use it. IMO, You can really mess up your stand or waste a lot of time trying to get it off. Contact me if you need info on what products to use on your stand.]
 
[Concur, the "all in one" stuff is crap... There are MUCH better products out there, more suitable to your intended use.

Personally, I'd use an oil based stain, topcoated with Marine Spar Varnish. There are other items that would probably work just as well, and I'm sure Vincent has alot of experience in this regard.]
 
[I've used it a few times. The only way to get it to look really good is to cover it with a few coats of clear poly. This kind of defeats the purpose of "all-in-one". Might as well use the normal stuff.]
 
[I used clear pine, i think that is the name of it from home deopt. It's just pine that is not warpped or have any knots in them. I was at lowes today looking at stain shades and i think red Mahogany or red oak would look pretty good. The stain was made by olympic, is this a pretty good brand to go with???]
 
[I know you're not going this route now, but the all in one minwax sucks. I used it on my stand and canopy and am not happy with it one bit.

Use a normal stain. Any brand really as long as it is the color you want. Then poly over it.

Gosh, I wish I would have done that! My tank and stand look like crap.]
 
[Agreed - stain/sealant combos = no good. There are many good stains out there, but only a few that're good for marine applications. I recommend "Varathane" as a sealant. Very sturdy & holds up against moisture & salt creep (I use about 5 coats).

Ross]
 
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