# Polyshades anyone?



## DaveLikeGolf (Dec 10, 2007)

I'm almost at the point of finishing 3 projects. I have a chest of drawers and 2 nightstands made out of cherry, a music stand made out of genuine mahogany (for a Christmas gift that needs to be finished soon!) and a new dresser/changing table combo out of genuine mahogany for my daughter (expected arrival in February).

I'm having a devil of a time getting the finish color I want with my limited knowledge on the subject. Basically, I've never put finish on quality wood before. Browsing the limited selection of minwax finishes at the Home Depot, I have decided the "Bombay Mahogany" is the perfect color match for what I want. The problem is it's a polyshade. I don't know if I want to use polyshades because in my test strips, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of painting it on and just letting it dry. I'm afraid over large areas the coloring will be inconsistent and I don't really want to waste so much work with a bad finishing job. Does anyone have any suggestions for use of the polyshade or alternatives to the polyshade that will give me that deep red/brown antique color I want (other than waiting 20 years for the wood to change itself)?

A couple of things worth mentioning: I don't have a spray booth or the resources to buy the necessary equipment anytime soon (baby on the way). I've used both the minwax red mahogany stain and the mahogany GEL stain as a test and weren't satisfied with either one.

Thanks in advance!


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## leonmcd (Jul 12, 2007)

I tried Polyshade about two years ago and never got it to work. Could not get the color and the poly to cooperate. The more I brushed to even the color the more it separated. Finally sanded it down and used a separate stain and poly.

BTW - I working on a poplar music box that I want to stain a dark red mahogany color. Tried Minwax and could not get an even color. I'm now using TransTint Dyes red mahogany. I put a few drops in about an ounce of shellac as a sealer. After that dried I rubbed in full strength dye on top ( I wanted it dark ). It is working for me. BTW - the dye is crazy expensive $17 for 2 ounces. Might be too expensive for a large project that you want really dark.


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## mot (May 8, 2007)

Don't do it! I think I used it Bombay Mahogany for this project: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1333

It was awful to use with bad color penetration and with having to use multiple coats it's very hard to deal with getting an even color.

Just my experience.


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## matter (Jan 30, 2008)

I have used PolyShades successfully once, and only once. I made 2 poplar high top tables for a client. It took a week of application, sanding, apply some more, sand it off, go for a beer, apply again…

10 coats plus 3 top coats of high gloss poly to protect it. Never will I use this product again.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Dave,
Here is a link to Jeff Jewitt's website page on colorants. You might want to try Transtints padded on in denatured alcohol, or added to a topcoat. There is also FAQs about dyes, UTCs and all sorts of information about staining and dyeing.

Just be sure to do test blocks in the same wood as the project, *all the way through to final finish* before committing to the final process on your own work.


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## JJackson (Mar 23, 2007)

David,
For Gods sake man, NO POLYSHADES! There are much better products out there that will assist well in the finishing department. Take a look at Waterlox or Arm-R-Seal.


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## Paul (Mar 13, 2007)

I agree with everyone. Run away. Run away.

Oh, I guess the product is okay for a utility piece that you're doing fast and dirty and you don't really care a whole lot how it looks. Utility shelves in the garage, a picnic table, dog house . . . but otherwise, you better be happy with what you see in the first stroke or two. The minute you try to go back for the third stroke and try to "fix" a spot before it dries completely, you start going downhill into amazing frustratiion.


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## Loogie (Jan 19, 2008)

Are you sure you HAVE to stain these pieces? Cherry and Mahogany are SO beautiful when finished but not stained. My wife thought a cherry entertainment center I built was too light. I told just to wait a while. Now it is just a beautiful red/brown. She loves it! I wouldn't stain those pieces if you can help it at all. I have used Bartley Gel stain very successfully, but it is hard to find. Their Gel Varnish works really well too.

As for Polyshades, I tried it once and didn't like it at all. Good luck, let us know what you decide.


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

As far as Polyshades, I have used it to complete some trim out and an interior door and it works. It is not that predictable. If it were a project that I was solely responsible for, I would consider alternatives.

Whatever you decide to use, it is wise to have extra scrap wood to test the stain/finsihing on. It would be a shame to get all the cutting and assembly on a wood project completed and not get the finish just right.

You may also want to check out the Woodwhisperer's site. He has some information about finishing - search "finishing"

Dalec


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I've used polyshades a few times. Very tricky stuff. The first coat always looks uneven, but it improves with successive coats.

If I were you, I'd keep experimenting with mixing stains until I got the color I was looking for.


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## Klynn (Jan 4, 2010)

Dave,
Do you have plans for the music stand that you are willing to share?


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## PigtailedWoodJockey (Apr 22, 2011)

Why, oh why didn't I read this earlier? I have now DESTROYED a hope chest for my 17-year-old daughter. How can a company as reputable as Minwax manufacture this garbage? I have used so many of their products and found them to be delightful in the end result. This one was beyond horrendous. Run away, Golfing Dave!


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## bradsgotwood (Dec 21, 2011)

I have now used polyshade on a few different pieces. The first coat is always bad. Steel wool, scrape repeat. do this about 5 times and you get a great looking finish. The satin has never actually taken a satin luster for me. for the final topcoat i do a light steel wool, then use a satin rub on poly. It gives it a beautiful luster. I use my wifes kotex pads to put on the rub on poly. They don't leave any lint at all andthey are super absorbent.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I would rub some BLO on some of your scrap pieces and you may have exactly the color you are going for. If so, I would wipe on some BLO followed by some wiped on Spar Urethane. Very easy to do and really brings out the beautiful grain of these woods. If you don't already have BLO, just wipe some mineral spirits on your scrap to get a rough idea as to color.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

(shrugs)
It's expensive, and I don't know who to contact in south florida but…

Just me, and I have a project I'm planning on doing this with out of cherry…

Gemini aniline dye (diluted with denatured alcohol)
Then a lacquer wiping stain
finished with semi-gloss lacquer.

I'd say van ******************** brown on the dye
I'd say probably new england chestnut on the stain.
But there are alot of options. The cool thing about this finishing system is that really adds definition to the wood's natural grain. They wiping stain gets lifted into the lacquer, giving the grain dimention It's hard to describe but awesome in effect on any kind of burl.

The down side is, it may be expensive if the whole saler has to ship to you.
But Gemini was cool enough to send me a free sample of the wiping stain, which I later had to buy a gallon of :/


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

I've done a couple of projects with Bombay Mahogany and had good results - but it's been a bit tricky.

The best job came when I used a weenie roller on the large areas and really concentrated on keeping it even.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I tried that stuff once….once was enough.


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## Stargazer (May 9, 2010)

Ditto the above post

Rick


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Take a look at General Finishes website and look at their products. Seal a Cell and Arm r Seal are excellent products if you want an oil modified urethane finish. Very easy to apply and you get a fool proof finish.


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## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

I am not a huge fan of it but if I need to get something done quick than I will use it. If I am building furniture I will NOT use it.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Haven't taken the trouble to read the above posts, sorry just being lazy right now… But as to whether or not to use Polyshades, DON'T DO IT! You would have to be a miracle worker to get the finish to come out even vaguely passable. Everyone I know that has tried it ended up with a badly splotchy finish no matter the prep…


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## alkillian (Mar 19, 2011)

Take a few sample boards, presanded to your local sherwin williams paint store and they will help you find the color you want. I stay away from minwax at all times.


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## nate22 (Jul 12, 2010)

If I were you I would not use the polyshade. I used it twice and I can't seem to get it even. One spot will be darker than the other. And I have used the Bombay Mahogany color. It looks nice but isn't that great putting it on. So I would go somewhere and have someone match it or find a dark color of minwax stain that you like on there website and go from there. Thay have a lot of different colors to choose from.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Makes ya wonder if anyone from MinWax ever looks at sites that might comment on the quality and user comments about their products.
Bill


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## Claggdaddy (Jan 15, 2012)

I have recently gone through the process of trying to find a stain for our new maple cabinets. Being the ametuers we were, we went to Home Depot in search of a stain color we liked. We came across Bombay M. in polyshades and loved the color. After practicing with it and reading about it, decided to scrap the polyshades. We went searching high and low for a traditional stain to match that color. I saw this post about the Varathane # 247 Cabaret, and ordered it online. It is not found in any stores here because they dont make it anymore. Luckily, I only ordered one quart because it was not even close! It was notdas dark or rich. Not even remotely. At least not on raw maple. We finally took a sample to sherwin williams and had them match the BM. We came up with a formula that is really close. We love it. Its as close to BM in an traditional stain as I have seen. It is

Sher Wood 
BAC Wiping Stain
Deep Cherry Base
S64 R 52
5012-51417
BAC Colorant OZ 32 64 128
L1-Blue. 4
Y3-Deep Gold. 52
Y1-Yellow. 48
R3-Magenta. 60


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## BobM001 (Jan 8, 2012)

I too am a "once and once only" user. I think that this stuff has to be SPRAYED for it to give an "even" color. But with any type of brush, FOGETABOUDIT!

Bob


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