Minwax® PolyShades® Bombay Mahogany, Satin, Half Pint

I can't tell  you when I bought my Minwax Polyshade, there's always some left in the can from a previous use, it's the only product I use!  It always goes on smooth and cleans up nicely and the furniture looks beautiful!

Matched perfectly

I've only used Classic Black, (on kitchen cabinets) which I am guessing must be the easiest color with which to get consistent results. I applied two coats over existing poly. The oak wood grain looks great with the black satin. (Adding crown molding and satin hardware also helped). I believe most disappointed users are not carefully following the recommended application instructions.

I found this produce very hard to work with, perhaps because of the combination of stain and poly -- streaky colors and gummy application. Using steel wool between coats, (as directed) is a mistake, even after 7 hours of drying time as it sticks to some parts of the finish that were apparently not fully cured. I wish I'd stayed with the traditional two step strain and finish process.

Review Polyshade After using PolyShades all in one my choice is to strip the oak table and chairs again or trash them PolyShades was blotchy and uneven. Unfortunately, this all-in-one polyurethane stain cannot be adjusted the way regular stain can be. This stuff is impossible to apply without the finish looking as though a 5-year-old did it. It's globby, uneven and just plain awful to use. It's almost as though it clots. I've refinished many pieces over the years but nothing has failed like this project has. I spent well over 20 hours stripping and sanding (3 steps to 240). I used Minwax prep, and several good brushes for the poly before I switched to a cotton cloth application. I applied three light coats. Then four...sanding lightly between each with a 240-grit sandpaper and then tacking for dust. My hope was that this would even out with more applications. It didn't. Too bad because it was a beautiful piece. Now I wonder if it is even salvageable. Very disappointed in the product and would rate it less than one star if I could.

I bought a can of matte finish pollyshades about 6 months ago, i used it right away, on 3 different peices each a differeny day, and different environment. All turned out glossy, i messaged minwax only to be told that it was my fault and that it was due to the environment, yet all 3 peices done different days, different places, difference everything ALL turned out glossy...

I chose the PolyShades product because the the "Honey" stain color in the brochure matched exactly to the wood moldings I was trying to match. This color oddly was not available as a traditional oil based stain through Minwax. So, we decided to try the PolyShades route. Big mistake! It is so splotchy. Although I am no where close to an expert, I have used Minwax stains and poly on various projects for the last 20 years. This PolyShades product needs to be removed from their lineup. It is horrible. It is inconsistent, splotchy, and does not look anything like the color it is supposed to be. I also did use the Minwax wood conditioner. I spent 2 days stripping my door to bare wood before this product. I am going to have to strip it again. We are very unhappy with the product, but would still use the traditional Minwax stain and poly.

I bought two of the satin finish espresso cans. One came out satin, the second is very obviously NOT satin and the can was mislabeled so now I need to sand it down buy another can and start over so the table matches the chairs I already did. Quality control is lacking.

I do not enjoy painting and staining in general, but also am very particular about the quality of the finish, so I sometimes do projects myself to ensure quality outcomes. I chose this product because I found that the new sliding doors I thought only needed varnish to match the room actually required stain. Since I now had a coat of Minwax polyurethane one the wood, I searched for a stain that I could apply over the existing varnish. Enter PolyShades. I wish I had read the reviews first. This product is HORRIBLE to apply, especially on vertical surfaces like a door. It starts out very watery, which runs badly, and then it quickly turns gummy as you try to fix runs, leaving splotchy areas that are darker - once this process starts, you can't recover. Critical mistake on my part was to go back to an area and try to even out the color. I will now have to sand the wood back down, and start over. I want to cut my loses and switch to a regular stain, but now have to worry about color matching the trim that I have to redo with the door frame that actually turned out ok.

purchased the polyshade stain in mahogany. Three coats to get the dark shade I wanted,. (staining oak kitchen cabinets). I did this on an extra cabinet door I had to see if I would like it and make sure not to difficult since I have never done this before. Did not like the shine on the door. I purchased the satin but it dried with a high gloss finish. I don't want this type of finish on my kitchen cabinets to show the imperfections of the cabinets. Going to try gel stain from a different manufacture.