I applied my first coat of General Finishes water based poly last night. But now after sanding with a 3M finishing pad, I am seeing blueish fogginess on the table top. It doesn't seem to be dust, since I can't wipe it off.
Will this go away in the next coat? If not, how do I fix this? Thanks in advance
To prep this top, I first sanded to 220 grit. Also, I applied two coats of Old Masters. Tung Oil Varnish
The blueish gray bits are visible on the left side of the image.
From the picture, it appears to be the open grain of the wood. This is typical in an initial coat because if you have done it right, it will be relatively thin. A good way to tell, is if you can lightly feel a difference in the finish where the spots are in comparison to the rest of the top. If it looks like this is the case, you should notice it disappear in the next coat.
If not, try to determine whether it's in the finish or on the surface. Poly can be a fragile process because it takes so long to cure and needs a virtually dust-free environment. If it appears to be on the surface, you should be able to sand it out of the finish. If your scotch pad isn't enough, a piece of 220 or higher should be fine so long as you're careful not to go too deep. Also, if using sandpaper, be mindful of uneven scratching in the finish. It will add an extra coat or two to your process.
If it appears to be in/under the finish, I'm afraid the only way to save it that I'm familiar with is the old fashioned way; sand/strip the finish off and start over.
I hope this was of some help. Another tip in finish work; one of the most common mistakes when scuffing between coats is to overdo it. Scuffing is only meant to smooth the surface for the next coat so it usually doesn't take much. Best of luck to you.
