Just wanted to post about a stain I've used a few times. This stain is different fro other stains as it's thicker and doesn't absorb "into" the wood. It sort of sits on the wood like a paint. It's good for difficult or not so perfect woods. I just went over the existing stain on my staircase to darken it up, it did a wonderful job. It was so easy to work with.
Here's a Pinterest board with some projects done with the stains....General Finishes.....
https://www.pinterest.com/generalfin...ava-gel-stain/