General finishes gel stain/target coating em6000 compatibility

[Kyle Evans]

I am coming to the. End of kitchen cabinet construction. I was planning on using general finished candlelit gel stain. I have very minimal experience with it. During research on top coats I read about target coatings. I like the idea of it being safe to use in doors and the ease of use of the water based laquer. On their website it says to test it on any products that contain oil. Is gel stain oil based? On the can it says it "produces a tough polyurethane finish" but I can't find any other indications. If anyone has insight on these products comparability I would really appreciate it.

kyle evans

[John TenEyck]

If you look at GF's website (see link) you'll see that their gel stains are oil based. I like them a lot. You can topcoat over them with water borne products but it's best to spray a coat of dewaxed shellac first. As is often said, shellac sticks to almost anything and most anything sticks to shellac.

https://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-wood-stains-sealers

John

[Mike Henderson]

I agree with John, but if you want a really tough finish get a pre-catalyzed lacquer. If water sits on the EM6000 it turns white and if it sits too long, the finish will lift. EM6000 is good for certain things, but I would not recommend it for kitchen use, or dining room (or breakfast area) table tops.

Mike

[EM6000 is not lacquer - it's acrylic. I think it says that on the can. And I think any water based "lacquer" is going to be acrylic.]

[Kyle Evans]

Thanks for the advise and wisdom. I will look into the pre catalyzed laquer.