Water-Based Gel Stains by Retique It (8 Ounce Stain, 25 Dark Oak)

I am extremely happy with the results. This product is very easy to use and hard to mess up. I’m shocked at how well it looks. Great way to update your kitchen without the hefty price tag.

I liked that this kit had absolutely no odor. It was easy to use. I made one mistake while graining so had to redo the primer and re-stain and grain. Second time turned out much better. You do have to work fast since it dries fast. That is why I had to start over. I’m sure the more projects you use this product on the better you will get at applying it.

I used this on my faux wood beams!

I do a lot of diy projects and this process was easy even if you’re a diy novice. The kit comes with an instruction card with QR code to watch a demo video so you’re fully prepared before starting. Follow the steps as outlined and you will be fine. The only thing i would add is that I had to recaulk because I scraped off the old gunk to have a clean surface to start my project. I caulked before adding my topcoat and would suggest doing it afterwards. Because I used a silicone based caulk (to protect against water, mold etc. especially around the faucet and sink) it doesn’t take the topcoat well. It beads up on top of the silicone, I simply just did not think about it before caulking. I would say caulk as your final step to be on the safe side. I used the pickled oak color, wanted to go for the butcher block look with my countertops. The stain has some gray undertones, I didn’t mind but something to consider for your overall look and finish. The stain and wood grain tool does add depth and gives the look and feel of real wood. My kitchen looks brand new for less than $200!

Some things sound too good to be true, and this is one of them. I really wanted to trust this product, but alas, it was not to be. I tried it on a door to cover a terrible faux-pas faux paint job done by the previous owners -the picture of the door as it shows dark brown. Hopefully the photos will come out in the order I added them to illustrate this journey.To find out the nature of the existing paint, I gave it the acetone test. The paint was water based as it had a residue with acetone and alcohol.Retique makes claims to cover laminate countertops, cabinets, metal, previously painted surfaces, I prepped the door like they said to in the video, scuff-sand it and clean it with alcohol, which I did. Then, I added 2 coats of the liquid wood. It looked decent so far, though it started to peel around the knob (closeup photo). I removed that, cleaned it, sanded, and painted on more and it seemed to stay after that, though it did concern me. I let it dry overnight.The next day was stain day - as I was running the wood raining tool down the door, the wood started coming off with it to reveal the paint underneath. I was able to easily pull it off with my fingernail.I had big plans for this and was going to use this on my cabinets and a table too, I am really glad I did not. I will have to do it the right way and strip whatever is there. If it cannot stick to this paint, I do not trust it to stick to anything else.I can't get my weekend back unfortunately, but at least I will be able to get my money back. Honestly, I wish I could charge the manufacturer for my door because it looks worse than it did before and I have a giant mess to clean up.

As I followed the instructions It took me several coats and several containers of product to finish my craft room countertop. The gaining tool is easy to use but messy and It takes several days to do the process, which is OK for me, but someone with small children it would not be convenient

This was very easy to apply and results are great! However, I used this on my 6 place setting table and was scraping the bottom of the jars because it was barely enough to finish the job. I got by but wish I had just a little more so I wouldn’t have had to skimp on the primer layer. Other than that, I loved this kit and plan on purchasing more. The seller was great to work with, I had originally requested a refund I had decided not to use the kit, and they gratefully obliged, but I decided I would try it anyway and so glad I did! Just make the jars a bit bigger and it would be perfect!

I really love Retique It. I just used it on our dining table, benches and chairs. They turned out so great. The furniture actually looks more expensive since I used Retique It. I’m planning on using it on my vanities and on my kitchen counter. They have a countertop kit that is totally durable but also removable if need be. Kudos to this combat for making such innovative products that really do what they say they do!