Customer Reviews for Varathane 1 qt. Classic Water-Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

definitely helps stain projects come out better and less blotchy. I would recommend

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Good quality product that preforms as outlined in the product information.

Works as stated prevented stain splotches

It does a great job. The grain roughs up a bit, so you do need to touch it with a little sandpaper to knock it down, as the instructions say to do.

Good question on whether it is really required on Oak Plywood prior to staining - intent is to reduce the amount of "blotching" and insure the stain shows smooth after drying. Product is easy to use and appeared to perform as expected but nor sure if it was the product or the hardwood. So the answer of whether I would recommend is I am not sure!

I bought it to stop my wife from asking me when I was going to stain the cupboard doors for the 50th time I haven't used it yet.

Varathane does the job. I could see the wood just soak this liquid up. I would play around with amount next time. I think I should have use more pre-stain on the table I was about to stain. I could see good results after stain application.

This product works well with plywood projects.

Made a big difference in how the cedar took the stain.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

MAKE SURE YOU ORDER ENOUGH. The product detail on HomeDepot.com states that this pre-stain covers up to 220 sq. ft./quart, but when we received our order, the back of each quart clearly states that it only covers 125 sq. ft. We had to order twice as much. So much for it being a good deal.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

A must before any stain application. The stain is much more rich and true to color when the conditioner is used.

Easy application, quick drying, good product.

yes I am using prestain to coat toung&groove for walls in basement of log home I plan to use clear coat or light stain to get sealed light coat finish

Everything was as expected. I used it in plywood prior to staining. 1 quart cover about 120 thirst sq feet.

Having been a Minwax user for many years, I was frankly hesitant to try Varathane for the first time. However, my reservations were unfounded. This product works just as I had hoped.

I would say it is great but I screwed up and got the water based, not oil like I needed. Oh well, save it for a different project. The oil based is fine.

ez to go on and made it all look same

Left my brush a bit gummy even after washing with soap and water. On a whim I rinsed it with mineral spirits and it cleaned up -- weird considering this is supposed to be water based. I brought it back and ended up getting similar, just a bit darker, results not using this, even on pine plywood.

I did an A/B comparison by applying half to a 2 foot pine trim. The other half I applied only the Varathane stain. Couldn't tell the difference other than the Pre-Stain half was harder to stain. Also the smell was obnoxiously sickening.

Good for light staining.