Minwax PolyShades Wood Stain + Polyurethane Finish – ½ Pint, Mission Oak, Satin

If people purchasing this finish would keep that in mind, and follow the instructions on the can, most of the issues leading to bad reviews could be avoided. This wood finish product is not a stain, it is a tinted transparent polyurethane coat. Don't brush it on and try to wipe it off as you would a stain. It is not a stain. Don't expect it to penetrate bare wood in the way a stain does. It is not a stain. Do treat it as a varnish or polyurethane type of finish for the surface of wood. Use thin coats. Let it dry COMPLETELY before applying another coat. Sand lightly between coats if needed, especially if there are drips. Work fairly quickly and lightly brush the whole surface to even out a coat before letting it dry. If you're starting with bare wood, use a wood sealer first, or use a regular stain and clear coat instead of this product. The best use of this product is to change the color of finished wood without having to sand off the old finish completely. It will make a light color darker, but it will not make a dark color lighter, though the red-toned or yellow-toned colors can warm up a darker wood finish.I bought this because I'm in the midst of painting a spare bedroom. The closet doors date to when the house was built in the 70s. Their thin factory spray-on finish was looking dull and worn out, and the dark color was dated. The doors bore dings of hard use by kids and the finish had been marred by past by naughty male cats with territorial issues. I didn't have the budget to replace them, and while I thought about painting them white, I'd have to use primer and many coats, and do the rest of the woodwork to match, and that just didn't fit my timeline for having this done (though it's not out of the question for the future). All I wanted was something to freshen the color and brighten the finish. This product looked like just the thing. I chose the chestnut shade to add warmth to the dull dark wood. After sanding, I applied this with a disposable sponge brush. The directions on the can recommend a natural bristle brush, and that might work even better, but the sponge brush worked well enough. The closet doors took two coats. The bedroom door, which was in much better shape, looked great after one thin coat. The baseboards and window moulding took one coat, and the windowsill, which was weatherbeaten and bore lots of scratch marks, took considerable sanding and several coats to get a good finish. The result is woodwork with a nicer color and a fresh new shine. This is exactly the kind of thing this product is for, and it did the job very well.BE SURE TO VENTILATE THE ROOM WELL. This stuff is VERY fumy. I took the screen out of the window and put a large box fan in the window while I worked, which was adequate, but I still worked quickly and left the door to the room shut while the finish dried. Also, keep pets and small kids out of the room while the finish dries! Not only could the fumes be bad for them, but the finish will be sticky for at least five hours, and you don't want small handprints or clumps of pet fur marring your finish.

It takes time to match the old wood with the new. After a few attempts with stain, I lightly sanded and began putting on a coat of this polyurethane/satin combination. After the second coat the finish color really came together and looked so good that I could not resist on final light coat to protect. It looks great! This color worked to match old interior golden oak that had darkened with time. My only negative comment has nothing to do with the product, but the can that I received was completely rusted on the outside and bottom of the can....I will pour it into a clean empty to preserve. This reflects did not affect the product, which worked beautifully with a little patience.

Great product! Shade is just right. Easy application.

I bought this to stain the orange oak circa 2006 banisters in my house. I went with classic black. Satin finish. The can arrived, dented, and leaking all over the box. I called customer service and they would not accept a return, but they refunded immediately. Grateful for that.! I attempted to salvage my project. I was able to get the lid off and gave the product a good stir. I did not use a paintbrush. I used a lint-free HDX staining pad. I gave everything a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, followed by vacuuming, and then dusting with a microfiber cloth. I wanted a solid black finish, with no wood grain showing through. A little bit on the sponge goes a very long way. I achieved the result I wanted with 2 coats. If you live in a humid environment, it will take days and days to dry. If less humid, it will be dry within a day.The finish appears to be more of a cross between semi-gloss and satin, but I don’t mind. 4 stars for the product, took one away for the poor packaging. 5 stars for customer service.

I just moved into a loft apartment and I had a few spots I wanted to touch up from previous tenants. It appears they had a single living room chair and it did some serious marks rubbing the floor. The loft is an old tobacco warehouse that was remodeled into lofts. I chose the Antique Walnut, it was a perfect match!!! This was VERY easy to apply, I just used an old rag I had laying around. The stain went on easy and smooth. Just dab a little on the rag and rub it in with up and down strokes. There was NO awful smell as some folks are stating. I did two coats and it was perfect. As you can see from the pictures it turned out perfect. Blended in very well. I highly recommend this stain combo! I am a woman with very little knowledge about home repairs and I did it!!!!!!!! WooooooHoooooooo

Restored weathered chairs to new.

This is a good medium tone stain. Went on easily, but polyurethane/color mix was inconsistent. Some areas dried to a satin finish, others appeared flat with color but no polyurethane finish.

The product is great . It’s the second Time i bought it. The quality is really goodThe package arrived damaged, because the packaging wasn’t really great , the can was moving in the box 😩