# Question about Minwax Finishes



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Ok… went shopping today at Harbor Freight. LOL… now I know why people try not to ever tell anyone to go there. I saw a couple of things that made me wonder but overall I didn't find anything I couldn't live without.

BUT… usually I hit the craft stores and I opted out of Hobby Lobby. My mom made me go to Michael's instead of the pawn shop (looking for tools lol). As we were leaving I saw a display of Minwax products. This is what I ended up getting.










At my Lowe's the 8oz cans of Minwax Wood Finish is 4.77. I got them for 1.99 each on clearance. The spray cans are 7.87 and I got them 3.19. I don't know how much the wood conditioner is at Lowes but I got it for 1.99 as well. And I got the can of Polyacrylic for 1.79. I got it all for 29.19. 
The little cans were all marked 1.79 a piece and the spray cans were marked 4.99. When I got home I realized they charged 1.99 for the little ones and 3.19 for the big ones. It works out in my favor so I'm not complaining…

So my question… Some of the cans are different. Some say "Wood Finish" and the others say "Wood Stain". What's the differences? And… What am I gonna use the Polyacrylic for? And… what do you guys think about the spray cans?

I just got one of each color they had because they were cheap and I wanted to try different colors to see what I liked most.

Thanks for all your help. I'm still learning this stuff. Now I need to go get out there and make something on my new workbench I made yesterday. And try out the colors that I just bought. I'm still on a high about how well the workbench turned out… and even more excited that it's #4 right now.


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

I prefer the "Wood Finish" over the "Wood Stain". The wood stains are water based and easier to clean.. that doesn't really matter to me (I apply finish with a rag rather than a brush so it's all disposable to me) and I think it just gives a smoother colour in a tone I like. Maybe it's just me, but the water based ones always come out a bit browner.. and I like my wood stains red. Just personal preference.

I've used the spray and had decent luck with it. You still have to wipe it in and down but if you are doing a large surface, or an irregular surface BOY is it handy!! I do carvings and sometimes stain them and that makes life a lot easier.

Try the polyacrylic! Omg! You'll love it! You need to apply several coats and I generally sand between every three or four. I like to do about 10 coats. It will give you a rock solid shiny surface that can withstand near anything. AND, it doesn't yellow the wood even a little bit. This is a perfect finish to use on really pale woods, especially if you have contrast and you want to keep it as bright as possible. Also works good on purpleheart, in my experience. Most other finishes make it browner.


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## Alexandre (May 26, 2012)

I have the wax.
I'm using it and dum dum dum. Expect a update on my project soon.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks for the info Lis

Alexandre… hope to see your project soon.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Myself I don't like either but for the price you got them at Angie you can't go wrong, I try to keep my woods in their natural color and just go for the pop wow factor, I've been using tung oil and Lacquer seems to be working for me.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

A stain is what puts the color on a piece of wood. They come in many forms (water based, oil based, penetrating, wipe on, etc, etc). All behave somewhat differently, but only provide a color.

Finish is applied to protect the stain. Finishes can include oil based, water based, lacquer, shellac, etc. In addition to protecting the stain, they can add "shine" ranging from high gloss down to eggshell. Water based finishes usually dry clear without changing the overall color of the stained wood. Other finishes can add a slight tint (often yellow).


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

There is a lot of good information on the minwax website. Great prices you got too.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Sawkerk is correct, ciuld not have said it any plainer. Good with the work bench projects, post them as you can


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

MinWAX Red Mahogany stain Rocks ! Benn using it for years. I is found in any Walmart, so you can get it 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. It goes on easy and repeats. So far it has given me the old worn mission finish I strive for.


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## redryder (Nov 28, 2009)

Ya know AngieO, I find it really hard to believe what you are telling us…

went shopping today at Harbor Freight. overall I didn't find anything I couldn't live without.

Are you sure….....................


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

redryder - LOL! Well… I did buy some casters for my workbench. I'm taking the Lowe's ones back. But that was all I got THERE. LOL…. I didn't say anything about the other stuff I found elsewhere


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

The thing is that the coloured minwax finish still really requires a finish.. it's just as porous when you are done as when you started.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

You stole that Polycrylic at $1.99. 
I completely agree with Lis, it's a great product.
Just don't shake it, it'll get all foamy.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Angie, experiment with some other types of finishes as well. I am not a big fan of stains. If I want something dark, I will use dark wood. However my wife is and she is the boss, so almost everything I make for the house gets stained. You will find finishes like Danish Oil, and other natural oils are so much easier to apply and work with.

As the others have mentioned, what you have there will add color to your wood. It will still be as if it were bare though. You need to protect it and seal it somehow. There are many options, Just make sure what you chose is compatible with your stain


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Actually the Polyacrylic and the wood conditioner were the things that I was going to get multiples of. There was only one polyacrylic and two conditioners.

My son took a shop class in school and made a pretty impressive table. I'm pretty pleased with it. I actually bought the first thing of minwax stain (I used on my box and frames) to match the table he made because I intend to make one for a nightstand and I want them to match. He said they put polyurethane over that to seal it. So I have some of that.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

In the terminology Minwax uses, the yellow cans marked "wood finish" are oil based stains. The white cans marked "wood stain" are water based stains. I prefer the oil-based myself. The water-based stains, as Lis said, are easy to clean up, but they tend to raise the grain.

The polycrylic is a water-based clear finish. It gives a more colorless finish than oil-based clear finishes, which tend to be a bit yellowish in color.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

So, the polyacrylic can be added straight to the wood on its natural color, or be added after you use the stain?


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

If you want your wood to have its natural color, you can use the polycrylic directly on it. I've done that and it can look gorgeous. If you aren't sure, don't put on polycrylic (or any other finish) then try to apply a stain. The poly (or whatever) will seal the wood and the stain won't work. It will just lay on top of the finish.

I've used gallons of Minwax oil based stains over the years with good results in most cases. My biggest problems have been using them on hard woods (like maple) and getting the color I want. Hard woods don't absorb stain very well and getting some of the really deep, rich, colors can be difficult.

I've used the Minwax water based stain a few times and had decent results. Be careful with it - it's really runny and can make a real mess in a hurry.

At all costs, stay well away from any of the Minwax Polyshades products. They're supposed to be a one-step stain and finish but my experience with them brought out language that I haven't used since I got home from extended periods at sea. You look like a nice young lady and such language wouldn't be appropriate for you. - lol


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## Tomj (Nov 18, 2011)

The Harbor Freight near me is right next door to Micheal's so I usually go into both also but the stains and especially the polycrylic are usually way more expensive at Micheal's than at Home Depot down the block but I just might go see if the Micheal's by me has them on sale too. Nice score.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Sawkerf - lol. I'll have to remember that.

Tomj - these were all on clearance. I noticed that the retail price was way higher than lowes as well.

I wonder if the Harbor Freight I went to is a really small one. I was very unimpressed. I felt like I was in the dollar store of tools. But there was such little selection that it was barely even dollar store standards


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

SWMBO is a hard core, born again, major league crafter who thinks Michaels is (or should be) a holy shrine. She can get pretty mad at me when I try to tell her that some of the stuff she gets there costs far less at Home Depot or the local hardware store - even when it's the same brand.

One time, she was doing something with nail polish remover and ran out. When I told her that I had a fresh quart of acetone in the shop that she was welcome to use, she rolled her eyes and muttered something sarcastic - once again upholding the female belief that if a man speaks he's obviously wrong. - lol


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Too funny! Of course… I have no idea what SWMBO means.

I on the other hand want to go to Lowes, Home Depot or any hardware/home store rather than anywhere else. My hubby's friends laughed at him the other day when he complained about me wanting more tools. They were like… what? I wish my wife wanted me to buy more tools.

Of course… I love Michaels too!


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

She Who Must Be Obeyed. It's from an Englsh comedy series called Rumpole of the Bailey.

SWMBO has never been much on tools except for craft stuff. When our daughters first moved out, I gave them basic tool boxes one Xmas. My son in law once complained that my youngest daughter had a better tool box than he did.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Sawkerf, my wife is the same. I don't complain a lot because she is really good at what she does. The curtains she just made would have cost us a small fortune to have made. It also lets me utter statements like "wood is A LOT cheaper than fabric" when I need 20 more board feet at the mill.

She often opts for the higher end stuff, but frequents Michael's a lot. Aside from sewing, she found she REALLY enjoys refinishing old furniture and scans craigslist for it often. She is convinced that Minwax is the end all and be all of wood finishes and nothing is better. In reality we all know that is far from true. I've gone as far as taping Minwax labels on Arm-R-Seal.
She is starting to come around. The last few projects I did for her were finished in either Danish Oil or Waterlox. She wouldn't admit it, but she like them.
Yesterday she comes in from the shop covered in sawdust from sanding, with the waterlox can and asks "OK, so how do you use this stupid crap?"


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

So which Michaels was this? And do they have more polyacrylic?


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Sawkerf - that's great! Love it!

Brandon - the Michaeks I went to was in Clarksville, IN. They only had one polyacrylic.

Lumberjoe - my mom is a sewer. Man…fabric can get really expensive. I do a little myself. It's an expensive hobby.

I think I have the only husband that would complain about going shopping for more tools or lumber lol. Last night we had dinner with some friends. My favorite comment of the night was when he started talking about how many new tools ive brought home in the last month and how all I want to do was buy more lumber. Lol. One guy said "the bro-code says I have to take my buddies side on this …. But it's tools man! Cant help you out. Gotta take Angie's side on this"


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