Find me something I can gel stain
I have been toying with the idea of painting my interior doors black for a dramatic impact, but have been afraid of such a drastic move. So I decided to use Java Gel Stain by General Finishes on just my interior doors.
I have three exterior doors like this and one double door. They are all fiberglass, not wood. If you don’t have wood doors be sure to use a gel stain because it stays on the surface and does not penetrate. I used a 2″ paint brush to apply the stain. It took about two coats to cover completely cover the lighter color underneath. You can choose to leave a slight brush stroke to give the appearance of a wood grain. I went over the brush strokes for a more solid look. Be sure to wear rubber gloves because the stain is pain to wash off of your hands, and still some will inevitably get through the gloves. Any brushes you use will be toast afterwards too, so plan to throw them out. This is inconvenient when applying multiple coats. I suppose soaking them in paint thinner might work to get them clean but I wouldn’t know because I am too lazy for such things. I did buy a little plastic case that keeps paint rollers wet,(as seen on Shark Tank!) that has proved invaluable.
After two coats and ample drying time. I applied an outdoor uv resistant polyurethane finish to protect the stain. Gel stain is not an exterior finish so if you want it to hold up over time, this is essential. I used General Finishes High Performance with UV protection. HOWEVER, be sure to read the instructions. I myself failed to do this and applied a liberal coat to all my doors and them left them to dry. The instructions say to let the coat sink in and then wipe off the excess. The result was a very thick shiny coating that looked horrible. To fix this, I applied another coat of gel stain to calm it down. SO, don’t be lazy like me and read the directions. Do it right the first time and all that right? Anyway after it was all said and done, I am very happy with the results!
The Rabbit Hole 