Carpentry and Woodworking - stain/polyurathane mix

I was at the store looking for stain and polyurathane to refinish my table and I came across a polurathane/stain mix by Minwax. Has anyone used this, and what kind of luck, tips can you share with me?

Thanks!

I've used it. You want to be careful how you apply it so you don't have differences in color due to different overlap. I'd also finish with a couple coats of clear poly once you get the color you like.

I've used it too, and don't really care for it. You don't seem to get an even color, and there's problems with getting it on too heavy (lap marks) which affect the color. You usually want about 3 coats of polyurethane to give good protection, so with 3 coats of that it will get a lot deeper in color. If you are working on bare wood, it saves one step... staining, which is the easiest part.

At least when you apply stain, you know what color it is going to be, and it's going to STAY that color when you finish it. With the Polyshades, the color gets darker with every coat. I like to know what the final color will be BEFORE I put the poly on.

Polyshades has it's place, but if you've worked hard to strip and sand this table top, I wouldn't recommend it. I also question it's durability for something like a table top.

Polyshades is not the only version of a product of this type.There are many and pretty much every single product line that has stains and polyurethanes in it has a stain/poly product as well.

Polyshades has a mixed reputation and as a retailer I find the good/bad right at 50/50.

If I was considering a product like this and had no experience with one I would try a small amount and see if it performed as I was looking for.Applying stain and poly serperately will not eliminate the concerns that use of polyshades or products like it might generate.It's as much about application quality and tool quality as it is product quality.

I used it once and was not happy with the results. I like to have a little more control when applying stain.

IMO a tinted poly/varnish is best left for when you need to alter the color of wood that has already been stained and sealed. As noted above it can be hard to control! Lap marks, runs, drips, thin spots will all be colored diferently. If you miss a spot it is almost impossible to touch up. Regular stain followed by several coats of varnish/poly is a lot more user friendly!!

Also a tinted poly should almost always be top coated with a clear poly. As the tinted poly wears away - so does some of the color.

I've tried this as well, and I don't like the results. I'd much rather stain first and get it right, then apply the poly finish, much easier to get a quality finish.