Stain question

I am about to stain an new patio door. The inside of the door is unfinished pine. The question I have is regarding the use of pre-stain wood conditioner. The stain I am using is Minwax gel stain. This is my first time using this type of stain (gel) and the reason is that this is the closest color match to the existing trim in my house. According to the display at Menards ,this is an oil based stain. The back of the stain can indicates that if you are staining a soft wood, that a pre-stain wood conditioner should be used. The conditioner indicates that it is water based. My question is... should I use a water based wood conditioner with an oil based stain... or just forgo the conditioner and apply the stain? Thanks in advance.....

 

I've never used a water based wood conditioner, it's always been oil base. I'd be leery that it might dry too fast [unevenly] and cause another set of problems. You can also make your own conditioner by drastically thinning down varnish or sanding sealer - often called a wash coat.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about a water based product being under oil base in an interior application and being as thin as a wood conditioner is, it shouldn't have any issues on the exterior side. If your staining the exterior also - be sure to finish with a spar [marine] urethane, it will hold up better to the elements.

Personally I don't like gel stains, I'm an old school painter and I'm too used to working with a traditional thin stain [so I wind up thinning the gel stain] Some think that a gel stain is easier to apply.

The purpose of a wood conditioner is to slightly seal the wood so the stain will be absorbed more evenly. Stains applied over wood that has been conditioned will be a little lighter in color than the same stain applied over raw wood. If variances in the stain color appeal to you - skip the conditioner, if you desire a toned down and more consistent stain color - use the conditioner.

 

Color match is partly picking the right color and partly making sure you apply and wipe off correctly

And, as Mark said, the conditioner is going to cause your wood to be lighter overall

 

I'd also like to throw in, based on my limited experience, that if the door is clear pine veneer (like an Andersen or Pella)...many times it will take stain just fine w/o all the other stuff.

I've only done maybe 5 like that, but they were very different than staining solid pine in a project or baseboard or trim with knots, flaws and grain.

 

Ok..thanks for the advice. I am only staining the interior of 2 new andersen frenchwood patio doors - no exterior staining. The only reason I purchased the gel stain is the colors available most closely matched the rest of the trim in my house. I think based on what I read here, I will just stain the door without the conditioner.
One more question, is wiping the stain a standard practice? I'm assuming so?

 

Yes, not all of it will penetrate the wood and the excess then needs to be wiped off

 

... failure to wipe off the excess stain will result in problems applying the 1st coat of poly. The poly would lift and/or move the stain around