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An Idiot’s Guide To Wood Finishing

6 Jun, 2021

Should stand up to a good amount of abuse. Unfortunately, most marine are pretty expensive. And sometimes in the finishing world, you get what you pay for.

Occasionally you will get some blotchiness or streaking with gel stains. In this case, go over the dry stain with a coat of Top Coat, let dry and re-stain. This will even out your surface for application. Even though the Gel Stain has some urethane in it, I recommend 2-3 coats of Top Coat for protection.

What Is A Normal Polyurethane Dry Time?

Keep in mind that most oil-based stains are in a boiled linseed oil base, so they take a long time to cure. When you layer multiple coats of stain you can actually make it take even longer to cure. So if the stain isn’t completely cure when you add a topcoat, you can get this kind of problem. My suggestion would indeed be to start over, but do what you can to avoid having to apply so much stain.

So if you can, sand back that coat as far as you dare to remove the bubbles and then start wiping on the finish. I ideally wanted to keep the finish light and natural looking. There is no varnish on the door at this point. The coating you see in the picture is three coats of Minwax gel stain applied to partially sanded door. I honestly don’t know what that could be.

Fine Woodworking

The BLO won’t completely seal the wood but it will give it a somewhat “finished” look. I still think the inside of that tub needs to be raw wood. We recently added on to our house and purchased unfinished Mahogany doors. I used oil-based Minwax stain and have put on the first coat of Helmsman spar urethane.

Just make sure you wipe the surface down with mineral spirits to remove the oil before you add another coat of finish. A solid wood top does require a little extra attention in that way. If you use oil only for the wood, then you are really going to have to be attentive to standing water. I have another favorite vid that I reference when finishing its by Peter Gedrys. He covers water based stain and uses foam brushes, which you mentioned, but he give very explicit instructions on how to accomplish a smooth finish with it. Should you spray water based polyurethane or is it better to use oil-based polyurethane?

They floors were dry in minutes and tomorrow I will polish them with a water-based polish. I have read all the comments and problems, that people are having with stain oil based. I am having the same problem, I striped the old stain on a Mahogany Buffet, sanded and put the conditioner.

Polyurethane bonds especially poorly to sanding sealers, so most manufacturers of polyurethane discourage their use. Furthermore, polyurethane sands easily, so there isn’t any need for a sanding sealer. The only benefit minwax vs varathane gained by brushing first across the grain and then with the grain is to make the thickness of the application more even. But I never have a problem with some areas being noticeably thicker than others anyway.

Often, it is best to use brush-on poly for exposed flat surfaces that will see significant wear and tear, such as table tops. As you can see from this picture, the difference is pretty dramatic. The water based polyurethane is lighter and duller than the oil based poly on the right. I just purchased a torrefied fir exterior door for my house. If I am not planning on staining it, should I still apply a wood conditioner first or is that not necessary? I am a little confused as to what you are referring when you talk about spar varnish vs. spar urethane.

Can you clarify which you think would be best for this job? If I do your thinned method , how many coats should we do? Is sanding needed in between the layers of the spar finish ?. I don’t usually use water based poly, but when I do I usually apply it using a HVLP spray system. It sprays alot like lacquer and gives decent results.

If the pain was completely dry, it should dry just fine. But you may or may not like the way it looks. Sometimes, a varnish over paint looks pretty bad. I just finished painting my new cornhole boards and I want to seal them. I was thinking a spar varnish to keep it sealed against spills and whatnot, but now i’m wondering if the rockhard product you suggested might be the way to go.

  • I will use the rag method because I’ve had good results in the past.
  • I am also concearnd with thebond strenth to water based acyrlic paints due to the nature or the game.
  • But if you don’t do the initial sanding, the surface could and probably will feel gritty and rough.
  • The one I used had a window of time that didn’t require sanding before recoating.
  • This sprayer uses a Dewalt XR lithium-ion battery system that lasts long and charges fast.
  • Polyurethanes come in basically two classifications; the water-based formula and the oil-based formula.
  • If one layer contains a flaw, subsequent layers won’t necessarily hide it.
  • I don’t like sanding between coats or the scratches in other finishes or trying to repair said scratches.
  • When water-based polyurethane is still liquid, it has a milky type of color.
  • You can also use a water-based spray/no-wipe stain.

At the moment, I’ve disassembled these parts and have been sanding them with 60 grit trying to remove as much as I can of the previously applied finish. I’m afraid, however, that the wood will never be as “clean” as it was when new. No matter how much I seem to sand, the wood does not take on an even shade. I’ve almost resigned to applying a very light stain. I want them to be as close to natural as possible. Now if that doesn’t work, there are other remedies like carefully rubbing the surface with an oil .

Useful Tips For Working With Polyurethane

I always sand if the surface feels rough, regardless of dilution. We make longboard skateboards and have traditionally sprayed them with McCloskey Man-O-War Spar Varnish. We have a customer who has spots from the shipping bubble wrap on the surface. You can certainly make your own blend, or you can just use a commercial product like Teak Oil. Watco Teak Oil, for instance, is an oil/varnish blend formulated for outdoor use.

Can You Paint Over Stained Wood? Solved! – BobVila.com

Can You Paint Over Stained Wood? Solved!.

Posted: Wed, 18 Dec 2019 23:10:04 GMT [source]

So, spray the entire surface area before you stop. For many DIYers, applying a finish to your hardwood floor is one of the most important projects for home improvement. The two most popular options, polyurethane and varnish, offer different levels of durability and appeal despite being grouped together. Do you want to achieve a finish you’ll be proud of on that piece that you worked hard to put together? Have you not used a lot of different finishing products? Would you like to produce such a finish without wearing your arm out sanding coats of polyurethane?

Polyurethane Finish

My problem with Minwax is that, applied thinly enough to dry, it doesn’t stain very much and certainly cannot equate to the surface color I am attempting to restore. I sanded, stained & varnished an old bathroom cupboard recently but noticed one drawer was still sticky days after the other parts were dry. I assume it is because that drawer gets the most use & the oil of many hands wasn’t sanded off properly, preventing the stain from being absorbed. Even though Minwax states it is non-yellowing, Applying to white or light colored surfaces will yield a yellowing over time. Make sure to use the exterior grade, as it has a UV inhibitor, the worst enemy of foam. As I was cleaning up, I collected all of the sand paper we went through when sanding the stairs.

Removing the door is not an option as it a solid signature hurricane door and is super heavy. The company that installed the door suggested to me that it not be removed. Any comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Below are a couple of links to their latest attempt. Hi, I’ve been watching your HVLP videos and searching for related info on your site. I’m considering purchasing an Earlex but my question is when do you use or when should one use an HLVP vs another method like wipe on or brush?

Sometimes I thin the material a bit with Naptha instead of mineral spirits as that helps it tack up a little faster. But my hope is that the final coat will dry with little to no dust nibs in the surface. I let the final coat cure for at least a week and then I come back with a 2000 or 4000 grit abrasive pad. The pad should help smooth the surface and get rid of any little nubs without making the surface appear matte. I need to finish new deck furnitur made with pressure treated pine.

Source: homemakerguide.com