

🪵 Elevate your wood game—stain smarter, not messier!
Varathane 368029 Less Mess Wood Stain and Applicator is a 4 oz water-based, low-odor wood stain with an innovative double-layered sponge tip for precise, mess-free application. Designed for crafts and small projects, it offers buildable semi-transparent color in Dark Walnut, dries quickly, and cleans up easily with soap and water.















| ASIN | B0B2KXQ7K2 |
| Additional Features | Low Odor, Easy to Clean |
| Base Material | Water-based |
| Best Sellers Rank | #2,839 in Tools & Home Improvement ( See Top 100 in Tools & Home Improvement ) #9 in Household Stains |
| Brand Name | Varathane |
| Coating Description | Water-based |
| Color | Dark Walnut |
| Compatible Material | Wood |
| Container Type | Bottle |
| Coverage | Good |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,037) |
| Finish Types | Semi-Transparent |
| Included Components | Less Mess Wood Stain and Applicator |
| Item Dimensions | 1.75 x 1.75 x 6.5 inches |
| Item Type Name | Less Mess Wood Stain |
| Item Weight | 4 Ounces |
| Liquid Volume | 16 Fluid Ounces |
| Manufacturer | Rust-Oleum |
| Manufacturer Warranty Description | Warranty |
| Material Type | Wood,Stain |
| Model Name | Less Mess Wood Stain |
| Model Number | 368029 |
| Opacity | 0.5 inches |
| Paint Type | Water Based |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Crafts |
| Size | 4 Ounce (Pack of 1) |
| Style Name | Wood Stain |
| Surface Recommendation | Wood |
| UPC | 020066491314 |
| Unit Count | 4.0 Fluid Ounces |
A**A
Great for touching up scratches from pet nails
I've used these to cover up scratches from pet nails on our old hardwood floors. The golden oak is perfect for our orangish-brown stained cypress floors and it dries really fast. I find that the spongy top applicator does wear down quickly with friction, but nothing some paper towels can't replace. I encourage folks to use gloves if you don't want to stain your fingers, but I have not had any issues with stain transfer on socks or pet paws after application. As far as I know, there isn't any real odor and it's easy enough to use on small sections.
M**E
Perfect for small projects!!!
Exactly what I was hoping for!!! Easy application, dried quickly and was the perfect color. I used Dark Walnut and this stain is great quality and definitely worth the money.
C**H
Sponge tip shredded a little
This worked so well! I love how the one coat gave my virgin wood Viking wall art a rich and rustic look. Removed one star because the sponge tip did shred a bit as I did these, I think mostly because of all the cutout edges, but I got all 4 done both sides and still have plenty to use and the shredded sponge still works for the most part. A little hard to squeeze the bottle of you have weak hand muscles.
K**N
Easy Repair
Used it on an old builder's grade bathroom cabinet set. Covered up all the water stains and worn places. Did two quick coats, and it looks brand new. The easiest home project I have done in years. I did it a month ago, and even with getting wet a lot it still looks great.
H**H
Nice product but hard to use
I did like the color of the product as well as the application in general, however it can be quite difficult to get the product out of the squeeze pen. You have to squeeze VERY hard to get it out. It works best to squeeze and dab hard and rub rather than squeeze and slide as suggested in the video. All in all, still usable but perhaps frustrating. Ive had to break my project up into smaller batches because it’s so time consuming and weary on the hand. However, there’s literally 0 mess which is great.
D**Y
great coverage.
It worked great to touch up my wood cabinets that have a see through expresso color. It worked nice and my cabinets look like new again. I tried it on a piece of wood and applied two heavy coats and it looked solid, no see through so it works great both ways. I think this was a great investment cause got great looking cabinets for only a few dollars!!! Make sure to prepare the wood properly so that the color can look at its best. I sanded with a 220 sand paper, than a 320 sand paper and than I applied the wood stain. I will also use a sealer to prevent the cabinet from chipping again. Very happy with this product!
K**S
This product is objectively bad
Had to stain some wood pieces for a project I'm working on. I basically never work with wood and didn't want to end up buying a bunch of supplies I'd never use again, so this seemed ideal. It was not. Honest to gosh, I cannot imagine a possible reason to buy or use this product. If someone gave it to me for free I wouldn't use it. Heck, I PAID for the darn thing and went out to buy something else so I wouldn't have to use it anymore! Let me lay out the issues, as I see them: 1) The squeeze- You have to CONSTANTLY squeeze it, at almost full muster, for many minutes at a time (depending on the size of your piece). It is physically exhausting using this product. 2) The time- It took so much longer than it needed to. I had 7 wooden slats that needed stain applied and it took over an hour to get about halfway to complete. That's not counting the hours of drying between coats. To be fair, I was looking to turn these things black, so it needed quite a bit of coverage, but the application is so ridiculously slow and clumsy. 3) The coverage- As I kind of alluded to above, the coverage was not good. At least partially because I had somewhat rough wood and partially because I needed it DARK, but even so, I'd applied 2 coats on each side and still needed at least a couple more. Using this product was so bad, that at this point, 2 coats in and realized I had at least another day of application and drying ahead of me, I just went to the store and bought the smallest can of Minwax liquid penetrating stain they had. I grabbed a cloth, dipped it in the can, and finished these things to perfection in 10 minutes. Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy. There is no possible reality where paying $10 for this "less mess wood stain applicator" and squeezing your forearms into oblivion, applying MANY coats, over the course of days, only to end up with subpar results, is a better option than buying a $10 can of stain, tearing up an old shirt, and finishing the job in 10 minutes, with stellar results. The ONLY possible use case for this product is to recommend to a buddy as a trick to pay them back for a time they wronged you. May gosh have mercy on your soul.
M**T
Like new!
Although the “after” is still wet, I am incredibly pleased with the results and ease of the product. I was concerned that the color would not be dark enough to fix this laminate on our tables, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I hand sanded the tables prior to applying and ensured that it was clean before application. Love that it is an all-in-one product and came out thicker and more pigment than expected. I did apply multiple coats and feel like it will do the job. While wet, it does have sticky texture but worth the value so far! I feel as if our tables are new!
H**D
It’s amazing
A**R
Works amazing, mess free. Would order and use again. It's very simple to use and the colors are great
L**N
What can I say? I love this product. I had a small job to do and I have lung issues and was worried about using a product that was going to irritate my lungs and affect my breathing. ZERO odor in this stain and it covers beautifully and the end result is stunning. Just what I needed and so simple my 9 yr old son was able to help. The colour is a beautiful warm tone, I got Golden Oak, and it suits really well for furniture projects. My husband built a new enclosure for our son's bearded dragon and we wanted to have it work as a furniture element as it is in the family room. We painted the enclosure a charcoal colour and did the front supports in this beautiful stain to offset it and bring it into our home design and colour's. It is perfect. When the entire project is complete I will update with a new picture of the finished project. But if you are hesitating thinking this won't be enough, I suggest you give it a try because honestly this little container goes a long way and it is so easy to use that if feels like cheating. Great item to use with kids DIY projects also. Highly recommend!
A**G
Simplemente es agua. No funciona para nada.
T**N
Tried to stain a shoe rack. Was a nightmare, but the colour is solid and it’s holding up. Just annoying application.
Trustpilot
4 days ago
2 days ago