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Step-By-Step Instructions
Light Wood with Stain Instructions
Smooth Finishes
Light Wood with Stain
Grained Finishes
Prep It
Clean surface and scuff up if glossy.
Pour 1-part denatured alcohol (or rubbing alcohol) and 1-part water into a spray bottle or bowl. Wipe
surface
down with mixture.
If surface is shiny or it has a wax/furniture polish on it, then scuff the entire surface up with sandpaper to
give it tooth (This is just to remove any wax and give better adherence for the base coat.)
Patch any divots or holes with Retique It® Mud.
Prime It
Apply Retique It® Stainable Liquid Wood
Apply one coat of Retique It® Light Wood as your base coat.
Make your final strokes long and even. (Stay consistent with the direction you want the grain)
Clean your brush while you give the project 2 hours to dry completely. If you are limited on time, then
use a blow dryer (Dry time may take as little as 15 minutes with the use of a blow dryer on high heat)
Apply a second coat of light wood.
Clean your brush while you give the project another 2 hours to dry completely (Consider using a blow dryer
again)
Move your hand over the surface. If any bumps or specks are detected, then lightly sand them smooth.
Stain It
Apply Retique It® Gel Stain or another brand of "non-penetrating" wood stain.
With Retique It® Water-based Gel Stain
Put on protective gloves (Optional)
Thoroughly stir your stain.
Get out your yellow sponge applicator to wipe on your Retique It® water-based gel stain. (Make sure you wet
your
sponge with clean water and squeeze out just prior to staining as this will prevent streaks)
If you're staining a very large surface (like a dining room tabletop), then keep a bowl of water on hand to
dip
and lightly squeeze excess out. Always remember to generously dip your sponge into the stain. Never
overwork your stain or allow your sponge to get dry. Using a dry sponge to apply Retique It® waterbased
gel
stain may cause streaking.
Wipe on your stain in long even strokes going in the direction of your grain.
Allow stain to dry. If you want a darker shade, apply more layers, allowing each layer to fully dry. (Pulling
the
stain off is optional, not usually necessary)
Allow the last layer of stain to dry for at least an hour. (Using a blow dryer on high heat may shorten your
dry
time to under 10 minutes for each layer of stain)
To Get a Darker Finish
Each time you layer another coat of Retique It® Waterbased Gel Stain, the finish will become darker and richer.
You can just stick with one coat, or layer up to 4 coats of the same color stain that comes in your kit. Another
option is to layer different colors of Retique It® Gel Stain to give you a completely custom color finish.
Love It
Prep It
Clean surface and scuff up if glossy.
Prime It
Apply Retique It® Stainable Liquid Wood
Grain It (Optional)
For Weathered and Rustic finishes only
If you ordered a Brushed Finish Kit, then you can skip this step. A graining tool is not included in the Brushed
Finish Kit.
The graining tool is used to get a pronounced grain.
NOTE: If you received 2 liquid wood shades in a kit, then the smaller container of liquid wood should be used as
the graining coat.
Rustic Kits come with Dark Wood for graining. Weathered Kits come with Bleached Wood for graining.
Apply a thin coat of either Dark or Bleached Liquid Wood in small sections at a time, about the size of a wood
plank. (This is so that the Liquid Wood does not have time to dry before you grain it.)
While the liquid wood is still wet, pull your graining tool in long even strokes across the entire
piece. Rolling the graining tool up or down will create the grain variation and knots. Do not stop when
pulling the graining tool from one end of the surface to the other. Try keeping one long continuous
movement.
Wipe your graining tool off with a damp paper towel between strokes.
If you don't like the grain, then pull the graining tool over it again. If you still don't like it, then paint
more liquid wood over it and start on that stroke again.
Wash your brush while you allow your project to dry for 2 hours or use a blow dryer to speed up your dry time.
Stain It
With Retique It® Water-based Gel Stain
Put on protective gloves (Optional)
Thoroughly stir your stain.
Get out your yellow sponge applicator to wipe on your Retique It® water-based gel stain. (Make sure you wet
your sponge with clean water and squeeze out just prior to staining as this will prevent streaks)
If you're staining a very large surface (like a dining room tabletop), then keep a bowl of water on hand to
dip and lightly squeeze excess out. Always remember to generously dip your sponge into the stain.
Never overwork your stain or allow your sponge to get dry. Using a dry sponge to apply Retique It®
waterbased gel stain may cause streaking.
Wipe on your stain in long even strokes going in the direction of your grain.
Allow stain to dry. If you want a darker shade apply more layers allowing each layer to fully dry. (Pulling
the stain off is optional, not usually necessary)
Allow the last layer of stain to dry for at least an hour (Using a blow dryer on high heat may shorten your
dry time to under 10 minutes for each layer of stain)
