I tried staining a wooden desk, but now there are streaks!!!?

Question

i bought an old desk but i needed to refinish it because it looked old and scratched up. so i stripped the old finish, sanded it and pretreated it with wood conditioner. when i applied the stain however, it was really thick and left "streaks" from where i applied it with the brush. by that i mean that it isn't flat and smooth but leaves texture from the way that i brushed it. the stain also looked really thick. the one i used is a combo of stain and polyurethane toghether.. is that why it is leaving "streaks". how can i fix this? please help!

Answer 1

Sounds  like Minwax polyshades.

Great Idea, but the stuff is a bear to work with.

No way around it but to strip it off while it's fresh.

At this point It might be best to use a gel stain ( brush on /rub off) & a clear finish or a tinted finish if you can find it in spraycans.

Best regards

Answer 2

Your can of stain was bad. I use Minwax Polyshades all the time and it is not thick. If it is  a new can, you didn't stir it enough before using.

Answer 3

It sounds like you applied the stain too thick.  I recommend dampening a rag with stain and using that to stain the wood instead of a brush.  Rub the rag with the wood grain to apply the stain.  It's probably a bit late to do that now.

Your only real remedy at this point (assuming the stain is dry already) would be to sand it down and paint it, or to sand it down to bare wood and re-stain it.

Answer 4

Poly-shades is extremely hard to work with. I wouldn't recommend using it unless you have had alot of experience with that type of product. Your best bet is to strip it back down and start all over. Id use a regular stain, wipe it on and wipe it off then use a polyurethane on top of it. Use a natural bristle brush for the poly and buff in between coats. Unless the wood is a soft wood, don't use wood conditioner on it. Wood conditioners are primarily used for soft woods that don't take stain evenly. Harder woods won't soak it up which will also cause you problems.