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Customer Reviews for Varathane 8 oz. Red Oak Premium Fast Dry Interior Wood Stain (4-Pack)

Internet #203331309

Model #266269

  • One coat coverage, premium wiping stain highlights wood grain
  • Fast dry wood stain creates rich color that dries in 1 hour
  • Easy to use wood finish covers up to 70 sq. ft. per 8 oz.

Customer Reviews

  • 4.3
    out of 4,888 reviews
  • 79% recommend this product
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Showing 1-30 of 4,888 reviews
Is this Summer Oak?
Picture and actual color is totally different.. My project had to be done that day so I went ahead and stained it but I’m wondering if it’s the right color.
by
Response from Rust-OleumSupportMar 18, 2022
That is odd! We want to hear more about your experience with the Rust-Oleum Varathane Summer Oak Fast Dry Wood Stain and try to make things right with you. Please feel free to call us at 800-901-0411 to talk about this more and make sure to have the product handy! - Rust-Oleum Product Support 5 Rustoleum
    Natural looking wood
    I used it on common pine boards to trim out a garage conversion I am working on. Love the way it pulls the grain and knots out. Looks great!
    by
    • Verified Purchase
    • Recommended
    2 found this review helpful
    Water-thin when applying, so really need to tape / use drop cloths effectively...or be ready for an extended clean up period. End result was surprisingly good, considering I used pallet wood for the project.
    Took 2 coats...on bare wood!
    by
    • Verified Purchase
    • Recommended
    Don't trust the label.
    It covers well in one coat, but for a good result, you need to use a pre-stain conditioner. See pictures. It's true that the conditioner is not required in the sense that you will not get arrested.
    by
    Response from Rust-OleumSupportMar 7, 2022
    Thanks for sharing your experience with Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain. If you have any further questions or concerns, we are here to help. 800-901-0411
    - Rust-Oleum Product Support 6 Rustoleum
      • Recommended
      1 found this review helpful
      Beautiful stain color! Applied well....
      Beautiful stain color! Applied well.
      by
      • Verified Purchase
      Very inconsistent
      I bought one can, got halfway through projects and had to go back for another can. The color was BEAUTIFUL and it's a color I had been searching for. Second can is like a Jacobean it's like NOT even close to the same color. Don't count on it! Now I have to go try to find the same color one to finish my project.
      by
      Response from Rust-OleumSupportFeb 18, 2022
      That is odd to hear, Ashly! Please give us a call at 800-901-0411, we want to get to the bottom of this and make things right! - Rust-Oleum Product Support 2 Rustoleum
        Once again Varathane stain works great on my wood projects,...
        Once again Varathane stain works great on my wood projects, My local Home Depot has all the various colors I needed and if not I can order online, A++
        by
          Works as expected, Deep rich color I wanted and still...
          Works as expected, Deep rich color I wanted and still a great value for the price. I will and have bought Varathane stain in the past and will in the future. The Home Depot carries various colors you will like and like the results... A+++
          by
            different colors
            Bought 2 qts at different stores and color was way too different!!
            by
            Response from Rust-OleumSupportJan 17, 2022
            Oh no, we can help! We want to hear more about your experience with the Rust-Oleum Varathane Fast Dry Wood Stain and try to make things right with you. Please feel free to call us at 800-901-0411 to talk about this more and make sure to have the product handy! - Rust-Oleum Product Support 5 Rustoleum
              2 found this review helpful
              ...
              by
                Summer Oak???
                I’ve had great success with varathane in the past, however this project has been an absolute nightmare. I tried to match an old can of Golden Oak with a new one, this was the result: the dark stain is new, the lighter the old can. Buy minwax.
                by
                Response from Rust-OleumSupportDec 22, 2021
                We want to try to help, Mike! Please give us a call at 800-901-0411 to talk with us further. When calling, please have your new can of Rust-Oleum Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain nearby, so we can collect the batch information from it.
                - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3 Rustoleum
                  1 found this review helpful
                  Color on a birch shelf is very true to the...
                  Color on a birch shelf is very true to the color on the can. Stain went on nicely and finished with teak oil. Looks great!
                  by
                    Stain for trim
                    It was a good price and the color came out great.
                    by
                    • Verified Purchase
                    Excellent stain
                    Excellent stain! Applies easily and penetrates deeply and evenly. Takes awhile for complete dry and you have to watch for excess stain that, when dry, definitely shows. Looks great but dries a shade darker than the shade shown on the can. Low odor and quick dissipation. All-in-all this Varathane is very good.
                    by
                    • Verified Purchase
                    • Recommended
                    Be sure of color
                    Varathane makes great stuff. This is no exception. Quality and easy to use. Be sure of your color though. I had to use 2 shades lighter to achieve the color the label shows. Dries flat.
                    by
                    • Verified Purchase
                    • Recommended
                    Super easy to use and my client loved the outcome....
                    Super easy to use and my client loved the outcome. Color is richer in person and gets a bit darker after a day and being sealed. I did 2 passes and even stained some wood filler as well and it turned out great.
                    by
                      Love Colonial Maple - great for pine
                      Love premium Colonial Maple stain. It makes pine looks like oak with a warm orange tone. When using with pre-conditioner, the color seems to be lighter, and I use 2 - 3 coats to get the deep color I want.
                      by
                        • Recommended
                        3 found this review helpful
                        Added the perfect finish to my new pantry cabinet
                        Easy to apply and produced a nice warm tone to the plywood cabinets i am building ( see images)
                        by
                        • Verified Purchase
                        1 found this review helpful
                        Color changed!! Doesn’t store well.
                        I purchased and used the “Traditional Cherry” (pictured) a few years ago for my new kitchen and hallway molding. The coverage was good but needed 3 coats on some wood to get it as dark as the rest. With each coat it took longer to dry (all took more than an hour) and the last coat remained a little tacky and lifted some when applying the polyurethane a full day later. Several months ago I opened one of the quart size cans. The stain had turned into a thick globby gel. 3/4 Full with the cover cleaned and sealed tight. Two remaining cans had done the same thing. Never had that happen before. I have 20+ years old cans of the other brand that are still good but not the right color. My problem: I never got around to replacing the doors in the hallway and kitchen and want to do that now but the color displayed on the can has changed from a “medium” cherry to a “light” cherry which won’t match the molding. What happened?!! With most cherry furniture being a medium tone, you’d think you could find that color easily in a stain!
                        by
                        Response from Rust-OleumSupportAug 27, 2021
                        Thank you for sharing your experience, Elaine. Over time the material inside will settle, so it is important that the container of the Rust-Oleum Varathane Fast Dry Wood Stain is mixed very well. We need to know more about your application to make the best recommendation for you. Please feel free to call us at (800) 901-0411 to discuss further. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 5 Rustoleum
                          1 found this review helpful
                          The dark walnut is a very nice stain to go...
                          The dark walnut is a very nice stain to go with natural wood.
                          by
                            Looking Good
                            I've bought the small can, because I didn't need much for my project. The weathered gray was my second to third choice, because HD didn't have the color I was looking for. The lid seems to be not very robust, because it deformed easily and a lot. I did apply three layers on pine lattice. The lattice actually twisted a bit.
                            by
                              • Recommended
                              Over 12 hours still not dry
                              Put a fan on my bench but after 12 hours dry time my fingers got stain on them. I painted it on with a brush and wiped off with a cloth so it’s not on thick. I waited even longer to apply a clear sealer and the color was coming off. My wood was fully sanded and ready for stain. I would pass on this stain. I dripped some stain on the floor of the garage and this morning they are still wet which is good for clean up but not for my bench.
                              by
                              Response from Rust-OleumSupportJul 1, 2021
                              That is not what we like to hear! While it is mentioned that the stain was wiped, if any stain remains on the surface of the wood, it will not dry as expected. Our Varathane Fast Dry Stains are designed to dry quickly in the wood grain, however, they will not dry on the surface like a paint will. We recommend either applying another coat of stain to reactivate the stain, or use mineral spirits to do the same. Wipe the reactivated stain thoroughly with a rag in the direction of the wood grain to remove all excess. - Rust-Oleum Product Support 2 Rustoleum
                                2 found this review helpful
                                Pre-Stain is truly not needed. With side-by-side conparison
                                I work with wood a lot and was very septic so about the claim that pre-stain is not needed. I tested the stain with pre-stain and without and also for different setting times before wiping it off. I was delightfully surprised to see that pre-stain is absolutely not needed. I’m fact, using pre-stain caused LESS penetration than just putting it on the raw wood. The photo attached is for the ‘early American’ stain which I purchased at Home Depot. The wood is American pine sanded from 150 - 180 grit, per the instructions. Note: ‘PS’ means Pre-stain and ‘S’ means stain, followed by the number of minutes before I wiped it off. E.g. ‘PS-3 S-5’ means 3 mins for pre-stain 5 mins for stain. The top image shows the following treatments from left to right: S-5 ; S-3 ; PS-5 S-3 ; PS-5 S-5 ; PS-3 S-3 The bottom image from left to right shows: S-15 ; S-10 ; S-7 As you can see, the amount of time soaking really does impact the finish. For my floors, I’m going with 10 mins of stain before wiping off, but you can pick whatever timing gets the look you want. I’d advise against letting the stain set for longer than 15 mins. In my S-5 treatment, it was significantly harder to wipe off the stain, because it dries so quickly. I’d say 3-12 mins is probably the sweet spot for one coat. If you want it darker, you’ll want to use two coats (with the appropriate drying period in between them). Great product. I am extremely pleased and will be buying it again in the future. I typically use General Finishes products, but I’m a Varathane convert now!
                                by
                                  • Recommended
                                  7 found this review helpful
                                  Excellent product. White washed prior to applying stain color.
                                  Excellent product. White washed prior to applying stain color.
                                  by
                                  • Verified Purchase
                                  • Recommended
                                  Worked great and coated well!!...
                                  Worked great and coated well!!
                                  by
                                  • Verified Purchase
                                  I used it on a whiskey barrel that I made into a bar cabinet. It came out great looking. I would...
                                  I used it on a whiskey barrel that I made into a bar cabinet. It came out great looking. I would use it again and would recommend it.
                                  by
                                  • Verified Purchase
                                  • Recommended
                                  I purchased red Oak unstained cabinets. I used the sun...
                                  I purchased red Oak unstained cabinets. I used the sun bleached stain. It came out so beautiful I love it I’m going to continue to do my island and perhaps my steps in the same stain
                                  by
                                  • Verified Purchase
                                  3 found this review helpful
                                  Black Cherry, you mean purple right?!
                                  We bought the black cherry color for our cornhole boards thinking it would be a nice reddish brown color. IT IS PURPLE. We wanted two wood tones for the colors but instead we get this. While we still think they look nice, how the color turned out is not at all what the can shows.
                                  by
                                  Response from Rust-OleumSupportMay 14, 2021
                                  Let's talk about this! Prior to each application, it is essential that Rust-Oleum Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain is applied in a test area first. This is because the wood species used for the application will affect the final color.
                                  - Rust-Oleum Product Support 3 Rustoleum
                                    1 found this review helpful
                                    Aged Barrel
                                    This stain color is so beautiful! It’s a grey brown and goes perfectly with our farmhouse design. We stained these pine doors with it, one coat. We did not seal it, we love the unfinished wood look. It’s perfect for an aged weathered look we wanted. Dries very quickly.
                                    by
                                      • Recommended
                                      6 found this review helpful
                                      Loved the color. I bought it for a welcome sign.
                                      Loved the color. I bought it for a welcome sign.
                                      by
                                        • Recommended
                                        Showing 1-30 of 4,888 reviews

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                                        Container Size

                                        8 Ounce

                                        1 Quart

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                                        8 Ounce

                                        Paint/Stain Features

                                        Fast Drying, Top Coat Required

                                        Fast Drying, Top Coat Required

                                        Fast Drying, Top Coat Required

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                                        Base Material

                                        Oil Based

                                        Oil Based

                                        Oil Based

                                        Oil Based

                                        Product Form

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