Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - How Should I Stain Pine Transitions Pieces?

I recently removed all my carpet and but down laminate floor in my condo. I'm now ready to put the transition pieces down, but I'm not sure how to stain them. I have the unfinished oak transitions from Menards. I've already cut them to size, but I'm not sure about the staining process.

I read that if I use a gel stain, then I won't have to use a pre-stain conditioner. If this is true, I was just thinking of using the gel stain (walnut) and then finishing it with either the fast-drying polyurethane or the wipe on poly, I'm not sure which is better. Or should I just be using the regular wood finish stain and if so, I'll be using (dark walnut). Also, I plan on using the disposible foam brushes.

Does this sound like I'm on the right track? If not, what am I missing.

Thanks

I don't like the gel stains [I'm old school] but it should work fine. You shouldn't need conditioner on oak, especially with small pieces. It would be best to stain some of the scrap first to make sure you have the correct stain. I'm also not a fan of foam brushes but they will work. I usually brush the stain on and then wipe off the excess. Once dry apply the poly. 3 coats would be best, sanding lightly between coats. I've never used any wipe on poly.

As far as the gel/liquid business goes, just pick the color you like and go by that. The Minwax line has different colors for its gel stains, so if you find a color your like that happens to be gel, then use it. Keep in mind that the regular penetrating stain will have a lot more choices, and be only slightly more difficult to use (though on a small piece of oak, this difficulty is negligable)

So in either case, gel/liquid would I need to pretreat or can I just apply the stain directly to the wood as is? I pretty sure that after I finish the stain, I'll use the fast-drying polyurethane instead of the wipe on.

Hardwoods such as oak do not need to be pretreated, regardless of whether you use gel or liquid stain. Actually, so far as I know, gel stains don't require pretreatment period.