1 qt. Classic Water-Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner

Disappointed. I used this product because I wanted to use water based Matt poly. On my test piece minwax oil based product performed much better compared varathane. It could have been my butcher block but I was not happy

Product is easy to apply. There's definitely a noticable difference in stain blotting in pieces that have been conditioned vs not. Stained pieces that i used the conditioner on are more subtle and uniform in coloring. Water clean up is very convenient.

Was easy to use very satisfied with the outcome..

Life changer! Really makes a difference when staining a piece

Applied to bare wood (after sanding to remove previous finish completely ) . Here is the result: NEVER AGAIN!

This is a HORRIBLE product. First of all (and a minor point), the directions on the back of the can are unclear, as they go back and forth between calling the product a conditioner and a stain. So, it's a bit confusing. The worst parts, though, are performance. First of all, it is designed to be used with water-based stains. It would be great if it said this right on the front of the can, but it is buried on the back. Secondly, the stains do not penetrate nor adhere the way they should. Simply handling the board, EVEN AFTER THE STAIN HAS DRIED, will create places where the stain will come off as polyurethane is being applied, leaving handprints and fingerprints that appear as if by magic. And of course, after the polyurethane is applied, even if you wipe quickly, it really is not possible to re-stain the area and cover the light-colored handprints. (And I always wear vinyl gloves while handling the wood, so it was not skin oil.) I have attached a picture of what one of these handprints looks like on a board. Now that board is absolutely unusable for it's intended purpose. I have tried sanding and re-staining, with no luck. By the way, I also bought their petroleum-based wood conditioner/pre-stain. The VOCs in it are so vile and intense, that I can't even use it inside my shop without the garage doors open. And they linger for a couple of DAYS, not hours. I have no idea why Home Depot made the idiotic decision to change from Minwax pre-stain conditioner, which works like a charm and has none of the issues, but they did. I will now have to drive 20 miles farther to purchase the GOOD wood conditioner at their leading chain competitor, and since I'm having to drive so far, it would be silly to go to Home Depot for anything. This is sad, since we have purchased well over $125,000 in services, supplies and tools there in the last five years or so, since we have been building our house.

Must need if you are staining pine (softwood). Follow instructions and it will help get the wood ready for a uniform acceptance of fresh varnish

Easy to use. Works exactly as anticipated.

You’re better off putting the stain right on the wood then using this stuff! Blotchy. Minwax is the way to go. I’ve been using it for 30 years and it always turns out well. Just getting harder to find it so I thought I’d try this. Now I gotta do a lot of sanding! Thanks varathane !

Firstly, #1 I did ALL my prep work (2 days of stripping down to bare wood.) #2 I read and followed all the directions. After this, I applied the product, as directed. After 2-5 minutes, I wiped off all excess using a lint-free cloth. Once the stain dried (8 hours later) the result was sticky I had to THEN remove ALL the finish with sandpaper and then with a RAZOR BLADE.