SamaN TEW-114-12 12-Ounce Interior Water Based Stain for Fine Wood, Lime

I got this in lime green and forest green thinking it would be you know, be lime green and forest green. If I went into a forest this color forest green, I'd want to have all my blade oils and potions at the ready because forests that are this black of a green always have monsters. The lime green is a nice, summer leaves green. This is the most opaque stain I've ever used. It's thick. It goes on like paint, and it looks like paint when it's dry. It is easy to clean up, and dries fairly quickly with little odor. Still, if I had wanted black paint, I would have ordered that.

So I haven't worked with low odor non toxic transparent stain before. Varathane Kona is usually my go-to color. However after staining some stair treads with it in the gel form (hadn't realized it was oil based) the stairs stunk for about 6 weeks. Kona also is not very transparent if at all on the gel form. That led me to try this product. Completely different color than Kona but so much more depth of color. It was a bit of a learning curve. The ikea moppe drawers I turned into a nightstand were done first with a foam roller (wouldn't recommend) though I don't hate how it came out. The shelf was done afterwards. It's an Ivar shelf from ikea and I believe it's pine. I have a fine mister bottle that I sprayed into the cup of stain to water it down further and I would also wet the rag and the wood slightly so that it didn't absorb right away. It has a lot of play time before drying and I really like how if one area is too concentrated you can mist some water on it and it disperses almost like watercolor in the tube. You can also do this if it dries too pigmented as well to reactivate and work in into other areas which I really appreciate. I plan to layer distressed paint effects over the the stained pieces and then seal it using General Finishes Flat. I transferred my stain to a fifo squeeze bottle and even found squeezing it directly onto the wood and then misting it and wiping it in with a wet rag to be even faster. It's very easy to clean and a little goes a long way. I can understand the people who say this isn't easy to work with. It doesn't act like traditional stain. It only became easy once I watered it down and used a rag. Using the roller initially it acted more like paint. It is initially a black color until it is fully absorbed. Would recommend for those who want a low odor non toxic transparent stain that is easy to clean up and forgiving to work with. Note: The shelf was done in the clay color, however the side posts that have a warm brown mixed in is a layer of Dark and d Decrepit stain from Debs DIY Paint that's layered over it. The clay stain has a gorgeous purple hue to it. Will definitely repurchase and would like to try some of the other colors like olive, dark walnut, and castle stone. Thank you for coming to my tedtalk...

Most wood stains, especially the darker varieties, take many applications to get it the right color. Saman works great! Get this. I used a polymerized linseed over Saman Rosewood stain. I am very pleased with the result. Next time I will try Saman's water based finish too. Everything on the bottle was true. No stink. One coat. Didn't raise the grain. No overlap marks. Water cleanup. The cost is more than something like M*nw*x, but Saman is a good product. Saves me time redoing it, so well worth the extra $. Also factor in that SamaN doesn't require wood conditioner at extra cost and time. Time will tell if it holds up. The photo shows three pieces of hickory, all from the same stick. One on the left is another brand of stain's "idea" of what Mahogany looks like. The Middle is Saman Rosewood with Tried and True Polymerized Linseed Oil finish, and the right is the natural hickory wood with the same polymerized linseed topcoat. Which do you like?

Bought some counter stools to match my dining set. They need some tlc. I bought the stain to restain where there was ware and tare from feet. Was very pleased at the end result. Make sure you ware gloves when applying.

I've used their colorful stain products in the past, so I feel comfortable writing a review even before I do my project. I love that they clean up with water. And they are as even as the wood in showing the color. What I mean is, that you don't have to worry about overlap marks, etc. when you apply the stain and let it dry. I use water based varnish to complete my projects and they look wonderful.