Gel Stain

Gel Stain from General Finishes is home of the popular Java Gel Stain featured across the nation's social media for upcycling furniture and cabinets. Gel wood stains are heavy-bodied and do not penetrate as deeply into the wood as liquid oil-based wipe-on stains do, providing the deepest, richest colors of any oil-based stain available.

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finishes-retail/oil-based-wood-stains-sealers/gel-stains

"Another banister makeover completed. I used General Finishes Carbon Gray Gel Stain. First time using on a banister and I love the way it turned out "  Thrifty Designs LLC    
"Finished up this black gel stained banister today as always using my favorite General Finishes." - Thrifty Designs LLC    
"Got these gorgeous end tables finished up this week. It’s so satisfying seeing something old become new again! We stripped these down to raw wood and stained them with General Finishes Brown Mahogany Gel Stain and top coated with GF Enduro Clear Poly. They are absolutely stunning!" - Duke Interiors and Restoration    
"Before, after, and during! I stripped this Jenny Lind style bed to bare wood and then applied General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain. I absolutely love this color! It’s a rich, warm brown without red tones." - JF Refinishing Co.    
"A matching pair of 1930s Art Deco end tables with a stunning inlay, they have been refinished using the color Black Lace by Lilly Moon Paint , Candlelite Gel Stain by General Finishes and a custom paint wash." - Pumpkin Seed Designs/Gray Road Candle Co.    

This piece will be headed to the mountains with the last piece. This beautiful oak chest was purchase...

"Banister turned out beautiful. We used General Finishes Java Gel Stain to achieve this look." - Thrifty Designs LLC    
"This one was a lot trickier than we were anticipating, but we couldn't be happier with the final outcome. The finish on this handmade, maple drop-leaf table was flaking and needed to be updated- just in time for Christmas! The stain color Candlelite by General Finishes was a great match." - Pumpkin Seed Designs/Gray Road Candle Co.    

General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain for the win

"Sometimes you just gotta keep it classic! That was definitly the case with this baby! After a good sanding and cleaning (yes I had to Google how to clean marble) I stained this dresser in General Finishes Nutmeg Gel Stain and sealed in the Arm-R-Seal. Lastly I switched out the big wood knobs for some vintage metal ones I had and it got a whole fresh start!" - Upcycling by Amy    
"The best part of my week was te finishing this MCM Dixie chest of drawers. I used General Finishes Gel Stain in Nutmeg." - The Cozy Cottage KY    
"After a few rounds of chemical strippers and sanding I did a wood conditioner on it and stained it in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain and sealed it. We also decided to paint the lettering in General Finishes Lamp Black to really set it apart. I also did a round of Wise Owl Paint furniture salve in the drawers to freshen and hydrate those too!" - Upcycling by Amy    

These are poplar tops for built in dressers stained with...

"After sitting around, stripped and sanded of that awful thick red finish for so long, I just couldn’t get past how much I loved the raw look this one had! So, I mixed some General Finishes New Pine and White Gel Stain, and here she is" - A Pinch of Rue Designs    
"General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain! Y’all I LOVE the stuff." - Sugar Creek Furnishings    
This desk had seen better days but was worth saving because of the gorgeous wood grain I knew was underneath all the old varnish. After a good sanding, it was painted in a custom mix of...
"Gorgeous solid wood buffet. This piece was in amazing condition to begin with, so left a lot of it natural wood. Freshened it up with a coat of General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain and their High Performance Topcoat. And for the shell/body I used General Finishes Reverent Gray. The hardware was left original to the piece. It’s got a great mix of classic and modern." - Ray's Refurbishing    
"This adorable cabinet was sanded and stained in General Finishes Colonial Maple Gel Stain and sealed. It also has the gorgeous scalloped drawers and is so well built!!" - Upcycling by Amy        
"The perfect tall and skinny matching end tables! Painted in General Finishes Reverent Gray Milk Paint and stained in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain!" - Upcycling by Amy    
"This end table was a LOT of work to get off the two layers of damaged veneer and repair the rest but I just love the final look! Painted in...
Ok, I'm legit proud of this transformation, not gonna lie... the original finish was super thick and drippy white paint that I think they put some sort of brown glaze over. It just looks dirty and sad . I had to strip it all off and go back to basics. For the top I stained it in...
"Your staircase is typically one of the first things you see when entering a home. The design of it can set the stage for your home. For this banister we used General Finishes Java Gel Stain and repainted the spindles in a brighter white." - Thrifty Designs LLC       
"Lots of sanding got us down to the barebones and I stained in in a combination of General Finishes Antique Walnut and Java Gel Stains. Lastly, we topped it off with some new gorgeous knobs and sealed it!" - Upcycling by Amy    
"After a full sanding and cleaning, treated to a round of pre-stain wood conditioner and stained in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain on the base and mirror and General Finishes Java Gel Stain on the top for some contrast!" - Upcycling by Amy    
"This was a good 10 hours of scrapping and sanding to remove all the layers of paint on this one but I’m thrilled with the results. General Finishes products were used in this project: Antique walnut Gel stain and High Performance Topcoat in satin which was sprayed for a flawless finish." - Paint and Hammer    
"Sometimes pieces really put me thru my paces but when they turn out this beautiful, it is worth it! Originally discussed staining the entire piece but after painstakingly removing the top layer of veneer on the top of the dresser that was pretty severely damaged, we realized the wood underneath was not pretty and no matter how much sanding I did, it did not look good stained so we pivoted and decided to paint the frame and stain the drawers. Painted in General Finishes Lamp Black and stained...
"It’s beyond GORGEOUS. The finish was restored using General Finishes Candlelite Gel Stain. I also switched out the hardware for a more elegant look. I really love how it turned out. " - ReFabulous Finds by Christina    
"After LOTS of sanding and several rounds of chemicals we got down to a clean slate. We stained it in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain for the base and Java Gel Stain for the top. We kept the original knobs on the two drawers in the middle but picked out some new drop handles for the other drawers to really tie it all together!" - Upcycling by Amy    
"Java Gel vs sanded! Thanks General Finishes for a superior product." - Sugar Creek Furnishings    
"This piece was painted with General Finishes Antique White Enduro and the table top was stained with Nutmeg Gel Stain and white washed with Winter White Glaze Effects." - Duke Interiors and Restoration    
"This is a Bluebird cedar hope chest from 1953 (almost 70 years old). Frame was made of solid mahogany wood and inside lined with 3/4” aromatic red cedar. Still has the original bluebirds and warranty.   Work included sanding everything down to bare wood, resecured original joints on frame and drawer, replaced lock and latch, new stain - General Finishes Georgian Cherry Gel Stain, new handles, GF Arm-R-Seal topcoat for protection." - Mathews Woodworks     
"We could paint a white primer coat on our boards….. but why cover up all that beauty. Love General Finishes White Gel Stain!!!" - BooYah-Boards    

"After a good sanding, I painted the dresser in...

"We just love when we get rare vintage pieces into the shop. This original Broyhill Premier buffet from the Saga series came into the shop last week, and we knew there was no other option than to completely restore it back to its original condition. Some pieces just aren’t meant to be painted! It was stripped down before being restored with General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain. The original hardware was refinished to give it that classic Saga series walnut/gold look. Everything was then...
"John Carpenter mid century dresser. Restored to gorgeous finish featuring beautiful wood handles. Top stained with General Finishes Nutmeg Gel Stain and sealed with Arm-R-Seal." - Just a Touch of Paint 2.0      
"I posted these end tables on my page as a piece I was working on and someone asked to customize them and I took them up on it! Painted in General Finishes Queenstown Gray and stained in General Finishes Antique Walnut and Java Gel Stains." - Upcycling by Amy  
"Gorgeous curved desk! The original finish was flaking and cracking off so we gave it a good sanding, primed it and painted it in a custom mix of Mélange Artisan Mineral Paints Mink and Khaki. The top and drawers were then stained in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain and sealed." - Upcycling by Amy    
"Fresh out of the shop is this stunning and unique Mid Century Modern dresser set. Made in the 1960’s, this set has been restored to look like it did when it was first manufactured 60 years ago. We started by stripping down the original walnut finish. We then stained everything with General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain. To make sure it kept that gorgeous finish for years to come, we then gave it multiple coats of General Finishes High Performance Top Coat." - First State Vintage    
General Finishes Gel Stain vent hood makeover by BricksnBlooms.    

"General Finishe...

This is an antique that’s been in our family for almost 10 years. She served well as an office chair that got occasional use before Covid (dun dun dunnnn) but with a new WFH lifestyle for my husband, he has to go with a more ergonomic choice. Lucky you! She got a fresh stain and paint job and is ready to be re-homed. - :...
"Process~ Chemically strip and rinse with lacquer thinner. Sand with 150, vacuum and then 220, vacuum. Wipe down with 50/50 denatured alcohol & water to pop the grain. Sand with 320 orbital and 220 sanding pad where needed, vacuum. Apply General Finishes Gel Stain in Candlelite. Coat of dewaxed shellac. Sand with 220 sanding pad, vacuum. Coat of GF’s High Performance Topcoat in gloss. Sand with 220 sanding pad, vacuum. Final coat of GF’s HPTC in flat. Hardware~ boil vinegar and then soak...
Classic, timeless table stained with General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain.     
"This antique table consists of 4 leafs and 5 legs! And she is HEAVY! Stained in General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain and sealed with High Performance Top Coat Satin." - Weathered Edge Furniture, LLC.    

Beautiful wood grain on this Krug dining room table.
General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain and Enduro Black Poly

 

 

"I wanted to share some before and afters of a desk I just did for a friend. This belonged to his grandfather, and he inherited it when he passed. Sanded it down completely then used General Finishes Nutmeg Gel Stain and Arm-R- Seal in satin. It looks like a brand new piece and he's thrilled!" - Modern Vintage Refinishing    
"Solid mahogany wood buffet. All I can say is WOW!! This piece is absolutely stunning. I sanded down all the doors, drawers and the top to reveal the gorgeous wood with a little accent piece around all the edges. Gave it all a fresh new coat of Antique Walnut Gel Stain a few coats of High Performance Topcoat. For the body I chose General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint." - Ray's Refurbishing    

Left to Right
Colonial Maple, Black,  Nutmeg,  Antique Walnut

This sweet mid century dresser will be in a new baby girl’s room....

"Talk about HANDSOME!!! This table is a treasured family heirloom of Christina and her family. Originally belonging to her great great grandma! To say the pressure was on was an understatement! We decided to remove all of the veneer on both shelves since it was VERY damaged. Sanded it all down, treated it with a coat of General Finishes Pre-Stain Conditioner since the shelves are made of a different wood than the legs. I needed all the help I could get to get the stain to go on nice and...