Can I mix polyurethane and stain together to make my own one step finish? If so what is the ratio?
by 
notedmom
ANSWERS: 7
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Yes you can the mixture would be 20% laquer 85% thinners & 5% spirit stain this wouldonly be used inbetween the 1st and 2nd coat as second coat as a toner only and should be applied as a haze coat,once dry apply the second coat
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I have actually stained and followed up directly with poly, while stain was still wet, It is not one coat but still works.
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My Father-In-Law was a master builder and built our home. He thought it would be a great idea to do this to save alot of time. If you really don't care about the finished product, go ahead and do it. For my money, it's the only door in our home that looks just horrible. You can tell the difference at a glance. The stain does not penetrate the wood and you can tell that it hasn't. Good luck, but not in my home
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well... duh... the polyurethane is the base... so you need enough for the job. the stain..mix to taste...dont taste
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Kinda. You gotta do a simple test. If you take the solvent in a small cup that comes with the poly and mix it with the stain (oil or water based) and they form a homogenous mix, then yes you have a stained clear poly. Just mix the stain into the solvent and then mix into the finish. Sorta like adding vanilla drops to a milkshake. If your stain or pigment is coarse or has extenders, it will cloud your poly and you end up with a mucked finish. Best pure pigments are from germany. One drop stains about half a liter. Clear as day too.
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SHORT CUTS ARE ALWAYS THE LESSER OF A QUALITY JOB. USE PATIENCE AND DO IT IN THE PROPER STEPS AND YOU GET A HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL LOOK. I STAY AWAY FROM SHORTCUTS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE...35 YEARS WORTH. I HAVE TRIED ALL THE SHORTCUTS...MOST DON'T WORK.
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Why in the WORLD would you want to compromise your finished product by taking the "easy way out" like this? First of all - if you want a one-coat finish, every Lowes and Home Depot across the land has them ready-made available for purchase in a number of gloriously beautiful colours. Secondly - it's not that damned hard to brush on your stain, then wait an hour to coat with Poly. Either way, it's not one-step, because you are supposed to use at least TWO coats of Poly, even on previously finished surfaces. At least three if the surface is not finished at all. AND - If you're using a stain mix, you really run the risk of not getting your desired shade, then having to sand down and start at square one. If you're just staining, you can apply thin coats until you're happy with the depth of colour, and THEN finish without compromising your tone.
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