I made a shoe-rack from Spruce and applied a couple of coats of clear matt varnish. My wife wanted a darker colour so I went to the local store where the only suitable product with the right colour was a small tin of "woodstain", the instructions on the tin said to thoroughly sand any previous varnish so the "stain" would adhere. The product is intended for outdoor use and requires 2 or 3 coats. So I guess it is more than a mere staining colourant and has some other stuff in it that produces a waterproof protective coating.
After a satisfactory test on a small chunk of wood I went ahead and lightly sanded, cleaned and then applied the stain using a paintbrush.
The results were hideously blotchy and uneven, mostly due to the fact that the stain seemed to be drying (more like coagulating) before I could brush out any drips/runs. I am now looking forward to sanding it down to plain wood and refinishing.
It is possible I applied too much "stain" at a time, or maybe conditions are not right (I brought the work indoors as my garage temperature is below the minimum on the tin).
What techniques should I try with this product?