How To Fix Blotchy Gel Stain (3 Steps Solution)

Gel stains are hard to handle on wood indeed. They dry off pretty fast during application. Hence, they get all blotchy over the wood piece more easily. 

So, do you badly need some solution on how to fix blotchy wood stain? 

Mineral spirits or lacquer thinner can come to the rescue here. They help us get the gel stain off. After that, we can reapply it. But, these steps must be done methodically and safely. There are also some tactics to prevent blotching. 

You must be intrigued about knowing the whole process. And to add cherries on top, you can even get pro-tips on how to prevent it! 

All you have to do is, take a few minutes, and read along!

“Unblotch” The Gel Stain From Your Wood In 3 Steps

how to fix blotchy gel stain

Oh no! Did the gel stain get all blotchy? It’s alright. Gel stains are just hard to get along with. 

Now, let’s delve into how we can fix it! It’s not that hard. But be sure to make it right with precautions. The gel stain must still be wet while you’re at it. 

Materials You’d Need

The main thing that we’ll do first: remove the gel stain. We’ll do it with the help of an appropriate solvent. 

We can either use mineral spirit or lacquer thinner. Both work well but both are highly corrosive and flammable. So proper precaution is necessary. 

If we use lacquer thinner, it reduces the sanding time. However, if we use the mineral spirits, a longer sanding time would be required before wiping. 

However, our advice is to buy both before starting. This will help us test which one works faster on the blotch. If mineral spirits don’t work well, lacquer thinner sure will. Also, lacquer thinner may strip down the whole thing. 

However, if you’re looking for the right product, here are some of the best ones: 

Before we get straight down to the steps, let’s list down the materials that we’ll need. 

  • 100 to 220 grit sander
  • Mineral spirits or lacquer thinner
  • Rag
  • Nitrile gloves (Nitrile gloves resist chemicals while latex gloves not so much. So, be sure to get the nitrile gloves)
  • Respirator
  • KN95 mask
  • Lab Coat 
  • Safety goggles

Now that we know which materials to gather, let’s get straight to business!

Step 1 of 3: Prepare The Workplace

Sit in a well-ventilated room with all the materials. Make sure the temperature of the room is neither too hot, nor too cold. This helps as the solvents used should not gather inside the room. 

Also, the right room temperature affects the consistency of the solvents and the stain. So, it’s important to maintain that.

Step 2 of 3: Sand Your Wood

Start with sanding at low grit of 100 to 120 of your choice. Then gradually move to high grit of 220. 

If you’re using mineral spirit, get around 30% of the gel stain off by sanding. If you’re using lacquer thinner, sand it just enough to make the surface rough. 

The roughness is necessary for the lacquer thinner to adhere to. The thinner can handle the rest.

Step 3 of 3: Wipe The Gel Stain Off

Take a rag. Soak it in the solvent of your choice. And start wiping off. 

Apply adequate pressure while scrubbing. That also determines how fast the blotch gets off. Do this step in several wipes. 

The first wipe should be done throughout the whole surface to soften the stain. Right away, get to the next wipe. Do as many wipes as needed to completely remove the stain. 

Make sure to do it fast and immediately between each wipe. Don’t let it stand to dry in between the wipes. After the final wipe, let it dry. Then prepare the wood for re-applying the stain. 

And that’s it! It is just as simple as that!

How To Prevent The Gel Stain From Blotching

Gel stains dry off incredibly fast, right? And if it dries while applying, that’s when it creates the blotches. Now, how can we prevent that? 

 Tip 1: Brushing Over An Appropriate Solvent 

First,  brush some mineral spirit or turpentine on the wood after sanding. Turpentine is sometimes more preferred because it increases the “open time” of the stain more. Also, we could mix a small amount of turpentine or the mineral spirit with the stain. This makes it less sticky. 

Some people also use a wash coat of shellac before staining again after sanding. That works well too.  

Tip 2: Preparing The Wood Surface

Make sure the wood surface is completely dry. It shouldn’t have any oil on it before staining. 

If the stain has not dried off yet, you’re safe. Better start working at it asap! It’s really not that hard, right? 

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do you fix blotchy gel stain?

Answer: You need to remove the whole layer of stain either by stripping or by sanding. For stripping, use mineral spirits or lacquer thinner. Make sure to sand a little bit before applying the solvents. Also, be sure to have proper precautions. 

Question: Will mineral spirits remove dried stain? 

Answer: After the gel stain has dried, it is possible to darken it. But sadly, it is not possible to lighten or remove it. If you want to remove or lighten it, you can do it with mineral spirits. But it has to be done while the stain is still wet. 

Question: What happens if you put too much stain on wood?

Answer: The stain may just come off altogether. Only the gel that penetrated into the wood may remain. After wiping, if all of the gel stains come off, this could be because the wood was not sanded enough. Sanding is very important for the stain to adhere. 

Wrapping Up

So, are you relieved now that you know how to remove blotchy gel stain? 

However, for the next time, we hope the pro-tips would help you prevent getting it all blotchy in the first place!

Let us know how it goes for you! Happy “Unblotching”!

Kevin Smith

1 thought on “How To Fix Blotchy Gel Stain (3 Steps Solution)”

  1. Hi…I just girl-stained my front door. Ohio…it is darker at the bottom and lighter at the top. It is under a roofed porch then sits back into an alcove. Gets sun afternoon but generally no rain or snow
    Di I have to polyurethane top finish to protect it from winter cuz there is no longer tempts to fix stain differences. If so then c
    I WOULD resend lightly and darken areas that are 3 shades lighter… help!!! Thanks

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