Finishing Sequence: Sealcoat or Gel Stain first ?

[earl wojciechowski]

I am at the point of finishing a plane storage till. It is made of soft maple for the sides and birch plywood for the back.
I am planning to use General Finishes Gel Stain. I was wondering if I should start with a coat of SealCoat, and then apply the gel stain or can I skip the SealCoat and just apply the GelStain directly to the bare wood.

Earl

[Prashun Patel]

The sealcoat will result in less penetration of the gel stain. You should try both sequences on scraps of soft maple AND the birch plywood. You may prefer the look of one over the other. Both of those woods can blotch - even with gel stain, so you may find that a lighter, even color is preferable to a darker, blotchier color.