Minwax Polyshades Classic Black Stain Wood

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!

I was originally hesitant to buy this product after many bad reviews on this site but I'm a novice and don't have the time, money or space to do a whole sand down, stain and finish. So I bit the bullet and bought the Polyshades Royal Walnut in Satin and am very happy with the experience! It didn't turn out as dark as I wanted but I have to admit all the pieces look beautiful; and except for the dry time between coats, the smell and the cold from leaving my windows open to ventilate (all of which were not preventable whether I used this product or not) I'm very happy. In the future if there was a finish a little duller than satin I may prefer that instead. Thanks Minwax!

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.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Minwax® PolyShades® I was surprised how well this covered with the first coat. I did apply a second only because I wanted a deeper color and once it dried the sheen is amazing.I am hoping they will come out with addition colors as I have a few other projects that I would consider using this.

I'm a DIYer and have used stains & paints for 30 years. I bought this product and used it on end tables for my living room. Although, I DO get compliments on the end result, and it definitely "saved" time...I will go back to stain and poly as a separate product. I found polyshades more difficult to use and I had less ...control over the product...(if that makes sense)

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 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.

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 purchased this to give new life to an old dresser. It was difficult to get on, almost impossible to get an even coat and avoid drips. And, after waiting forever between coats, it took days to finish the project and we'll,...every time I look at it I kind of grimace. If you look from far away it's not bad, but up close its awful. Not even close to the results from a separate stain and poly. Now I need to invest more time and money into sanding, priming and painting it. I just can't find the energy to completely strip it so I can stain and poly the right way.