Water Based Wood Stain

[Color: Golden Oak, Color: Golden Oak]
I've had a block of birch butcher block as a workbench table for a while now that I'd never bothered to finish. After picking up a resin 3D printer, I figured it best to get something on there to help protect against any spills from printing or post-processing, and this seemed like a great product for that. In this case, I played around some on the bottom of the work table, then went with one process on the top and sides.The Golden Oak by itself, depending on how many coats are used, is definitely a light and bright, nearly golden tone, which was a bit too yellow for my taste. I ended up using as a base, and mixing in some Coatez Teak and Brown Walnut until I got a darker, more reddish-brown shade that still has that nice, golden undertone, and it looks great, when properly applied.The application is where things get trickier, and I think part of it was not paying attention to one of the directions in the instructions, and another was learning how this stain/coat mixture behaves.One of the directions states to wait about two hours between coats. The thing was, it felt dry to the touch in just 30 minutes or so, so I got ahead of myself and started new coats well before two hours passed. That probably would not have been a problem had I used a foam roller for all applications, but at one point I poured some stain on the table and rolled from there. Unfortunately, that left the pooled stain in place just long enough to dissolve some of the previous layer, which left some obvious defects in the finish. Since this is a workbench I really don't care if it's not perfect, but that is definitely something to be aware of when you're applying this. And I want to be clear, this particular issue was MY FAULT, not the stain's - I should have been more patient.Regarding application, this stuff seems thicker and more viscous than I was expecting. I was using it in a 70F room and figured that should be more than warm enough, but it brushes on in a way that made it difficult to get even coverage, even in small areas. At 70F ambient temp it works better with a foam roller than with brushes, but even then it was tough to avoid obvious, visible overlapping of each pass with the roller.Comparing this with my previous experience with some brand-name stain + poly one-step finishes, this compares favorably on price, stain color, and actual finish. The final color I came up with is gorgeous, looks shiny, and seems durable even though I did not do much prep to the wood, given that it's a workbench and not in a living space.If I'm paying full price for something like this, there are other brands that I know handle and apply a bit more smoothly and evenly, especially over large surfaces.So this comes in second to my favored brands, mostly for the thickness of the liquid and how it handles at room temperature. It's not bad stuff, and if I had more, I would definitely use it, with the caveat that I'd try for a warmer ambient room temp when applying, respect the timing between coats, and maybe find out if there's a way to thin this a bit for easier application.

[Color: Golden Oak, Color: Golden Oak]
Review of COATEZ brand Water Based Wood Stain and Sealer in One:I ordered the Golden Oak color variant which comes in a 10.50 oz plastic tub (pic1). I picked this particular brand because it is a combo 2 in 1 product, combining a stain primer and top coat sealer, which means HALF the work. Other features that I liked are the claims of low odor, fast drying , and non-toxic (more on these features later).UNBOXING: inside the package are the following: 10.58oz tub of golden oak wood stain primer + top coat sealant, 1 mini paint brush with soft bristles, 2 small sheets of sandpaper, and instructions (pic1).PERFORMANCE: a mixing stick isn't included but you really need to mix the contents before use to make sure everything is uniform. Temperature is REALLY important with this product. If it is too hot, the consistency becomes too watery and if too cold (near freezing) it becomes too thick to apply. The product actually provides a working temp range of 41-104F (pic5) but I found viscosity to be optimal around room temperature (60s-70s). The product is thick enough that one coat is sufficient. The color is dent enough that you do not need to put a second coat on unless you want to make it darker than the advertised color. I chose golden oak because I went to the bright area wood color to match my almond wood colored kitchen cabinets and Golden Oak was the closest to it.ODOR: Understand that low odor does not mean 'no' odor. It does have a varnish type smell to it but it is not overpowering and you will NOT need to wear a breathing mask like with the more hazardous finishes out there. I still recommend opening the windows and getting some ventilation and circulation with some fans. Even if the smell is tolerable, the airflow will speed up the drying. After applying 1 coating, it took just over 2 hours to dry and that's with good air flow at 77F. The instructions say it takes a full 7 days for it to reach "full effectiveness" whatever that means. Be aware that the more layers you apply, the longer it will take to fully dry.Speaking of layers, the more layers you apply, the less total surface area you can cover with this product, obviously.The product claims that it can covers 40ft² if using 1 layer, 25ft² with 2 coats or 15ft² if applying 3 layers. Mathematically this doesn't make sense to me because if 1 coat can cover 40ft² then 2 coats should only cover 20ft².So, you're mileage will vary greatly depending on how thick you slather it on.NON-TOXIC: The claim that this is 'non-toxic' simply means it is low on harmful VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). This does not mean it is harmless. Just that is is LESS toxic than comparable products.Lastly, this product claims to create water seal. Just really depends on the texture of the wood. The more porous the wood is the more nooks and crannies that the coding will fail to cover. The sealant needs to cover the entire surface for it to provide water resistant properties.FINAL THOUGHTS: The small tub balances out with the low price making this a fair value. Based on the final color matching the listing claims, and overall quality of the topcoat surface, I would definitely get this product again. I really like this 2 in 1 combo as it was a time saver for me.