I’ve found my finishing problem: I’m building things out of pine.
Traditional stain, gel stain, urethane, tung oil, danish oil…on oak, cherry or maple many of these look fine. No matter what I put on pine, it comes out looking like a septic prolapse.
I’m just a passer-by here, but, I have a house with pine siding. It stains fine? Maybe we’re not thinking of the same thing.
I’ve used Benjamin Moore’s “ARBORCOAT Translucent Classic Oil Finish” tinted “Natural,” as well as on my deck tinted “Cedar.” For the sides facing South and West I would ideally re-stain every 3 years it looks like, and it does seem to be getting darker every time I do that.
I had always used this foaming wood cleaner, but one time in a pinch I bought the “normal” … not-foaming cleaner, and that turned out to be a big mistake. This cleaner didn’t clean so much as bleach, then when I put on the transparent stain it just looked like bleached wood. Luckily that was just a shed.
Edit: This is the cleaner - https://www.homehardware.ca/en/4l-2-part-oxygen-deck-patio-and-stone-cleaner/p/1874410