Questions tagged [polyurethane]

Polyurethane is a synthetic resin used in some modern finishes.

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Peeling floors polyurethane

Reclaimed wood floors were installed 7 years ago and maintenance recommendations was to buff and repoly every 5-10 years…I did this with the same company that installed the floors. The floor finish ...
Lorraine Hayden's user avatar
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Applying stain after sanding off first coat of polyurethane

We refurbished an old family table. We did the whole process of sanding and now have finally applied the stain (1 coat of Provinal) and applied the first coat of polyurethane. After we applied it we ...
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I bought water base polyurethane that was shaken

I went to Ace hardware store to buy Varathane water base polyurethane. Store clerk told me that the polyurethane has to be thoroughly mixed before applying put them in the paint mix shaker. I came ...
gomdolyi's user avatar
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Not leave scratches in poly to begin with?

I see many, many threads about fixing scratches in poly. And the directions on most finishes is to sand with fine (220) before applying the next coat of finish. How do I not leave scratches with the ...
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light sanding of poly coated gel stain removes gel stain?

I bought a Jarvis/Fully bamboo desktop and am trying to darken the finish. To do this, I started on the bottom of the desktop and tried out the steps on a small portion by: first sanding away the ...
Chris Morris's user avatar
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Why won't stripper remove the finish on this bamboo desktop (from Fully/Jarvis company)?

I bought a Jarvis/Fully bamboo desktop and am trying to darken the finish. To do this, I first want to remove the existing finish. But I am having issues with doing so. Note: pictures are at the ...
Chris Morris's user avatar
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Which is the best exterior polyurethane for furniture?

I'm thinking of using exterior polyurethane for my exterior furnishing. I'm planning to use Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane Indoor/Outdoor Wood Finish. Is this the best one to use or there are better ...
TPH John's user avatar
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How can I fix or avoid streaks with wipe-on polyurethane?

I have been working on a birch butcher block desk. I stained the desk then waited 24 hours before applying my first coat of brush-on satin polyurethane. I applied two coats of brush-on poly (24 hours ...
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Re-finish water-based polyurethane tabletop without having to sand again

Two years ago I sanded back my mid century table top and refinished with varathane water based polyurethane. I placed a 1 1/2 mm thick clear plastic protector over the top. This has produced what I ...
Donna's user avatar
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Will poly crack if wood bends?

I have a 3/4” wide and 16’ long piece of raw pine that I’m finishing as a countertop for some storage cabinets in the living room. I plan to use water based stain and polycrylic. I’ve been working on ...
Kimberly's user avatar
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Can I spray Minwax water based polyurethane clear satin?

I sprayed a water based polyurethane (Minwax) on a lot of cabinets, but it was about 15 years ago. It was relatively noxious, but it sprayed great out of my inexpensive HVLP gun and compressor. I'm ...
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Finishing jatoba and maple chess board

I'm building a chess board -- I decided to use jatoba and maple for the board itself, (and am using wenge and maple for the trim). After milling the jatoba, the exposed surfaces of the jatoba are no ...
user2766918's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
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How likely is it for bubbles to form with spray-applied polyrethane compared to brush-applied?

I am thinking about applying polyurethane on my wood to protect it against moisture. But I'm concerned about bubbles forming in the polyurethane. I see why bubbles may form when applying polyurethane ...
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What order do I go in to fill defects in wood?

I’m new to live edge woodworking. I am finishing a walnut slab for a kitchen table that has some minor defects such as small cracks and knotty areas. I would like to fill those with epoxy. But unsure ...
Shannon's user avatar
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Can you apply polyurethane on top of wood that has been treated with a deck sealer?

Note, this is not for exterior use. We bought an old Buffet and converted it into a vanity for our bathroom remodel. At the time we thought it was a good idea to seal it with a waterproof sealer and ...
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Is water-based polyurethane completely scratch resistant?

Just received a custom table finished with minwax water-based polyurethane. It's been about a week so I tested applying pressure with my fingernail, which did leave a small scratch if you look closely....
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Can resin or epoxy be poured over a poly finish?

I pulled the tile out of my dining table and replaced it with multiple wooden slats that I torched, sanded, then stained. The valleys in the grain are amazing and I left a smooth board in the center ...
brendan riddle's user avatar
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1 answer
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Water based poly finish over oil based stain is tacky

In my first attempt on a woodworking project, I am trying to spruce up a dresser made of raw pine wood. I stained it using Varathane oil stains. After it dried completely over a couple of days I ...
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Natural pine wood bed has strong chemical odor, why is this and how to stop it?

I threw out my old bed since it was falling apart and this is when it all went downhill. First I got a new bed (upholstered, unfisnished MDF board) that had such a strong odor, it invaded all the ...
Wonderingwood's user avatar
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How significant is the yellowing from aging polyurethane?

It seems that at least half of the questions we get about finishing are along the lines of "I don't want any yellowing from my finish", or "I don't want any yellowing because of aging ...
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First time painting furniture - top coat, polyurethane yellowing?

I've built a small office desk and a shoe rack out of pine and now plan to paint both. The most used parts, i.e. table top of the desk and the shelves of the shoe rack are going to be black, the rest ...
Alexander's user avatar
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Drying time on line tongue and groove boards

I have staying and sealed the tongue and groove boards with 2 coats of poly. I need to restack them until the contractor comes to install them. How long should they dry before I do this?
Karen C's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
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Polyurethane over Boiled Linseed Oil Timing? -- Butcher Block Tabletop

Short version If I'm using a few coats of boiled linseed oil (BLO) followed by a few coats of polyurethane, what should the timing schedule be? For my specific use case, this will be a large butcher ...
Erdős-Bacon's user avatar
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Oil-based polyurethane became cloudy after sanding and wiping with moist cloth [duplicate]

I applied a thick coat of oil poly. Once dry, it looked clear in color. However, it was very rough and uneven, so I sanded heavily. After hours of sanding, I wiped the sawdust off with a moist cloth. ...
Andy Carlson's user avatar
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Will my tacky polyurethane eventually cure when average air temperature rises?

So, for lack of a proper shop, I was applying a first coat of undiluted Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane (oil based) to a plywood box using my dining room table under a plastic drop cloth as a work ...
Henry Taylor's user avatar
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1 answer
546 views

Number of polyurethane coats before I can polish?

My first post on WoodWorking Stack Exchange so please forgive me in advance if my question has been answered before. I am new to woodworking and have read a lot of information regarding working with ...
BishBashBosh's user avatar
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1 answer
129 views

Will faster drying interior polyurethane work over a layer of slow drying exterior poly

I am coating a pine mantlepiece with gloss polyurethane. I used interior/exterior poly for my 1st & second coats for protection from sun exposure. Because of the longer drying time 24/48 hours ...
Robert's user avatar
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How to coat and finish a fresh cut end grain cookie stop it from drying/cracking? [duplicate]

First timer here (to forum and woodworking). I have two, 2" thick tree slices ("cookies") that have a diameter of around 20". I'm trying to turn them into end tables as a gift for ...
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Why do MDS for polyurethane finishes show such a wide range of solvents? What are we really getting?

I like to thin my polyurethane finish with mineral spirits as an alternative to buying a wipe on poly - but when I started to look at several of the easily available options for Clear Gloss, like ...
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Sealant recommendation for pen-holding box

I am about to start assembling a box to stow away items that otherwise overrun a desk. The box arrives in small pieces. Before assembling, I'd like to apply some sealant so that it stays clean for ...
Sam7919's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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After 4 coats of light wipe on poly my counter looks spotty

I have butcher block counter tops that I just bought. Unfinished birch to be exact. I stained the block then let sit for 48hr. After that, I put 4 coats of wipe on poly on. It looks and feels fine ...
Dom513's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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How to fix polyurethane finish peeling off furniture

So I recently bought a piece of furniture which (based on my research) has a polyurethane finish. After it arrived I discovered it had scratches, which I believe is polyurethane flaking off (you can ...
Eric's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is there any issue using a water based stain then oil based finish?

If there is no issue, what is the proper way to perform this? How long after staining should I wait? I’ve only found answers to the reverse problem. And not sure if it would be the same answer.
user9095's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Polycrylic getting sticky and peeling/wearing off

I coated a bare wood acacia table for a computer desk with Minwax polycrylic about 4 months ago and made sure it was dried the recommended 24 hours before regular use. 4 months later, I noticed the ...
Dobob's user avatar
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2 answers
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Proper way to dilute water based oil-modified polyurethane?

What is the proper way to dilute water based oil-modified polyurethane? I know for oil based poly, to use mineral spirits. Water based poly, use water. I couldn't find any details on how to dilute ...
user8728's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
427 views

Best waterproofing method for bathroom project?

I'm somewhat of a beginner woodworker and I'm looking at building a small caddy of sorts for my bathroom counter to hold my razor, razor blades, shaving brush, toothbrush, etc. because my bathroom isn'...
audiFanatic's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
6k views

Finishes over mineral oil

Over the past few days I have been refinishing a cedar chest. I used stripper and a razor blade to remove most of the old finish before starting to sand. I sanded it up to 600 grit. I was reading ...
Willie Johnson's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
702 views

Sanded lightly between coats of minwax. Applied second coat and you can see where I sanded. How can you fix this?

Refinishing a pine table. Applied one coat of minwax wipe on then sanded as told. Applied second coat and sanding marks still showing. Can it be fixed?
Ronnie's user avatar
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Should I use or exterior oil based polyurethane for wood trim in a bathroom?

I have stained all the wood trim in my bathroom. I am planning to coat it with an oil based polyurethane. Would exterior poly be preferable because it is exposed to moisture?
Alyson Souza's user avatar
-1 votes
3 answers
193 views

Sanding Poly coated veneer

I put new oak veneer on a table and applied two coat of polyurethane. It now looks as though I should have sanded down the veneer to a smoother surface. It's not terrible, but it the grain is sticking ...
GregSoDak's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
500 views

Recommended finish for workbench vise

I made a small tabletop Moxon vise and after some research decided to finish it using a 3-part mix of equal parts polyurethane, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits. Sounds okay to me, but I'd like ...
wabrrnt's user avatar
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1 answer
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Using PT lumber indoor if covered with polyurethane?

Earlier today, I posted a question about building a small table with pressure-treated wood. A few people chewed me out for using PT wood indoors, so I deleted it. So just now I called a lumber store ...
rbhat's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Meat Grinder Table Design

I am considering building a table for a meat grinder out of wood and then covering it in something to make it last longer. The basic idea is that the grinder would sit on a higher section and then ...
dmoore1181's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
544 views

Veneering with construction adhesives (PL Premium, etc)

I have one curved staircase riser I need to veneer or otherwise match with hardwood floor. All the other risers are going to be done with thin plywood and clear coated (treads will be assembled from ...
Eugene's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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How do I finish-off pine wood after issues?

I'm trying to finish a pine dresser. Here are the steps I have taken so far: Sanded 1 layer pre-stain wood conditioner (Varathane) 2 layers of wood stain (Varathane Classic) 1 layer of water-based ...
Alan's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
429 views

How to get an even sheen with wiping varnish?

I am making my own wiping varnish by following Bob Flexner's recommendation of mixing polyurethane varnish (in my case, Minwax semigloss) with odorless mineral spirits. Everything seems to be going ...
Norman Ramsey's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
98 views

Strategy for coating a built table with polyurethane?

I built a simple table. I stained each piece before final gluing and construction. I am not sure how to polyurethane the table. I am concerned about both getting an even coat that doesn't run and ...
JoshuaD's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
427 views

Does water-based polyurethane affect paint color?

I recently painted a dresser. I originally painted it a darker gray than I wanted so after putting the initial two coats on I took the paint back to Home Depot and had them lighten the rest of the ...
lovenothate22's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
17k views

Can I use #0000 steel wool for final polish of water-based polyurethane?

I'm finishing my first woodworking project — a tabletop that I hope to mount on a sit/stand desk mechanism. I've stained and applied 4 coats of Varthane water-based polyurethane in matte finish. I ...
user96872's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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How to smooth out final polyurethane coat? [duplicate]

first time posting here and first time doing any sort of woodworking. I purchased the Gerton table top from IKEA and it came pretty scratchy. So I sanded it with 120 grit sandpaper and applied 3 ...
Alkarin's user avatar
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