# Cloudy after stain



## patrickjbarnett (Aug 19, 2017)

Hello everyone,

I built a floating shelf and used Minwax Jacobean to stain the project. I haven't applied the sealant yet because of the cloudy film. I let it dry for 24 hours and now there seems to be streaks on the wood.









Here is another interesting thing that is going on…if I wipe the wood with my hand (or a rag, or cloth or sponge) the white look "disappears". It's almost acting like fabric in that sense. Like when you vacuum the rug and the steaks vary from light to dark where the roller was. I'll try and post a picture and even a video so you can see what I'm talking about.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

It needs to dry longer.

For what it's worth I've never had good luck with Minwax stains, especially Jacobean. Almost any brand will give better results. Varathane, Rodda, Cabot, and General Finishes are all good.


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## patrickjbarnett (Aug 19, 2017)

That happened after the first 24 hours but it's been drying for almost 10 days now and it's still like that.


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

What is the wood? Is it something that gets fuzzy like aspen?


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## patrickjbarnett (Aug 19, 2017)

Pine from HD.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

pine can do that. it needs a prestain conditioner to make stains even. personally i spray pine with mineral spirits and wipe off just prior to staining.makes the stain even for me.
oil based stain, that is.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

I would just put the sealer on, it should make it go away.

If you want to try and even it up first
Lightly dampen a rag with Mineral Spirits and wipe down the top lightly going over it with full strokes from side to side.
When it dries put on your finish and it should be fine.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Add a coat of dewaxed shellac (conditioner) by wiping quickly. Shellac dries FAST.
Bill


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

I'm with Jbay, I think it will go away with your finish. If it's fuzz, you will have to sand a lot after the finish dries.


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## patrickjbarnett (Aug 19, 2017)

I'm going to try and wipe it with ms and then seal it. I sanded the bottom back to raw wood and started over. I applied ms to that after I vac'd the dust off so I'll see if that made a difference. 
When I originally sanded it I didn't vacuum it. I used and air compressor to blow it off and then used a tack cloth (which I've never done before). Do you think that may have left a residue that would cause this? I see a lot of people use them and they don't seem to have any issues. It may not have been the cloth but it's the only thing I've done differently with this one, then all my other projects.


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## patrickjbarnett (Aug 19, 2017)

I wanted to thank everyone for all of their responses. I really do appreciate the support and information. Honestly I was just trying to avoid sending it back down to raw wood and essentially having to start over. That's exactly what I ended up doing. Ironically enough, this turned out better than the first version. I was able to get away some excess glue residue and all the joints came out really clean and smooth. I guess my only advise to myself would be, there are no shortcuts, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and begin again. Thanks again y'all!


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