BRUSH ON GEL STAIN & TOPCOAT by Fusion

Fusion’s mineral paint is known for its quality! Fusion also carries a line of finishing products that may surprise you. A treatment and enhancer designed for painted and unpainted pieces of wood furniture. Our customers love products such as Fusions Hemp Oil, Beeswax and Stain & Finishing Oil. The Brush-On Gel Stain and Topcoat are no exception! 

An oil-based coating, Gel Stain is available in four gorgeous colors. Black, Greystone, Double Espresso, and Patina. Gel Stain is Gel Stain. SFO is Stain and Finishing Oil.

Gel Stains can be applied to almost any surface with very little prep work (other than cleaning off the dust! ) to a previously finished, scratched, painted, etc. surface. It changes everything!

Here are the basics:

• This is a brush-on product, not a wipe-on or wipe-back.
• Apply with a natural bristle brush or a roller.
• After approx. 4 hours, the coating dries to the touch and can be re-coated. (Experiment for tackiness prior to recoating, and wait another couple hours if still tacky).
• It has a gel-like consistency – each color is different. Stirring reduces its viscosity.
• Self-leveling with long opening times.
• Only available in 4 different colors in Quart size.
• A single coat looks like a stain. Patina, which does not contain pigment, will remain transparent as subsequent coats become more opaque.
• It has a satin finish.

Recommended Surfaces

• Laminate surfaces, lacquered surfaces, previously painted surfaces, glazed surfaces.
• Surfaces that have been damaged or scuffed.
• It requires almost no preparation- just clean and remove any wax or grease. Applying this requires no to little sanding or de-glossing.
• Highly durable. Suitable for heavy-duty use in the kitchen and flooring.
• Surfaces with bare wood will be beautifully satin-finished.

Clean Up and Curing

• Gel Stain is an oil-based product
• Mineral Spirits may be used for clean-up
• After a few hours, Gel Stain has dried to the touch.
• Typically takes 5 days to cure.

How can you determine when to use which one?

Below, you’ll find a comparison of the two products in order to help you choose the best option for your next project.

Our Stain and Finishing Oil would be best used on raw wood with a lovely grain and an even surface. Gel Stain is recommended when you have a surface that is sealed, varnished, lacquered, painted or otherwise damaged or scratched.

It sticks and adheres like no other! The finish is stain resistant and easily washable.  As well as being very forgiving, it adheres to a lot of things.  A product like this would be ideal if one has a worn-down, battered surface that has multiple substrates (sticky layers of paint). If you want to conceal any damage to a piece, Gel Stain is a great choice.

We call it gel because it has a thicker consistency. As this product is self-leveling, it is rare to see brush strokes appearing. Be sure to apply it in a well-ventilated area since it has an odor just like SFO.

Patina Gel Stain, like Natural SFO, can be used as a protective top coat, however, be sure to note that it will yellow due to being based on oil.

How do the Gel Stain and the Stain and Finishing Oil differ?

This Gel Stain has a satin finish that doesn’t build up with subsequent coats. By applying coats of the SFO, you could achieve a nearly glossy finish. With Gel Stains, you can increase the opaqueness of the color as you apply more coats.

The SFO penetrates quickly and efficiently into the wood surface, and the excess needs to be removed. If it is allowed to sit on your surface, it may get tacky, resulting in an uneven sheen.

With Gel Stain, you apply a thin layer using a brush. It is great for large flat surfaces to use a large brush so you don’t have to brush back and forth. For applying Gel Stain, we have also used a roller brush with great results.

If you use Fusion’s Brush on Gel Stain, we’d love to see your creations. Don’t forget to tag A Place Called Home GA 2 on Instagram in your creations and use our hashtag #aplacecalledhome_ga.