Staining composite molding?

[Russell Tribby]

I'm using some flexible resin-based crown on a current project and I need to stain it. At the recommendation of the manufacturer I'm using a gel stain. I applied a relatively light coat yesterday afternoon and went back to apply a second coat (the final color will be pretty dark) and found that if I worked it too much I ended up just moving the stain around (I did htis on some scrap). The result was that I didn't really end up with a darker color.
Has anyone had to stain composite molding before? If so, I would appreciate any tips you may have. Can I seal the gel stain with some shellac and then go back over it with another coat? What other options do I have outside of a gel stain?

[Jim Becker]

Yes, you can seal with a coat of de-waxed shellac to avoid the problem you are experiencing. 'Might be easiest to use the Zinsser shellac in the spray bomb for the moldings.

[Russell Tribby]

The primer on the moudling is way too light. I'm thinking of going over it with a darker color to provide a better base. I really would like to be able to use the Target Ultima Stain that I'm using on the rest of the case on the moulding as well. Would it work if I topped the primer with some dewaxed shellac and then used stain on top of that? I haven't had time to try it so I thought I'd just throw this out there until I have some time this weekend.