I'm preparing to do a lot of trim work in my home and will be using red oak. I'll be staining the trim before installation and will apply water-based poly once the trim is installed(can't laquer due to having my pregnant wife in the house and would prefer to avoid using super-smelly products for that reason).
I've always used minwax stains but haven't ever been too impressed with the results. I've never used sanding sealer on oak but may do so in an effort to reduce the darker appearance of the open flat grain that I normally get with oak.
Is minwax stain as good as anything else out there or can anyone recommend something that is perhaps thicker or has more pigment?
Can I get away with water-based gloss poly over the top of oil-based stain?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.