Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange! Apply two coats of undiluted polyurethane formula to your surface. A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. You can thin the urethane with mineral spirits, a favorite mixture of many wood workers. This should get you the results you are looking for. You should make sure to fine sand your base before you urethane, make sure you use a tack rag to clear the surface of bits that will can tribute to this. between layers... then do the final polishing. Then you need to tack cloth the surface and apply one or two new coats of finish in a dust free room. By the third coat, you should have a nearly perfect surface assuming a fairly dust-free environment. I appreciate your expertise and you taking the time to help someone with a question that probably seems to simple to someone like yourself. A few things to add to the good information above. Sanding it between coats just goes with the job. THANKS! Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. What is happening on wood is after sanding a lot of the wood fibers are just mashed down flat and when you put a finish on them especially a water based finish it stands the fibers of the wood up and get suspended in the finish. Actual grits could get higher depending on your roughness. It is not unusual to have a "rough" coat as perceived by the user, happens to all. Just no sure how to make it smooth as a baby's bottom, http://www.toy-train-table-plans-store.com/, You’re going in the right direction. I added some finish and then added a thin layer Minwax Fast-drying Polyurethane (clear semi-gloss) with a foam brush. I find brushing letting fully dry light sanding is the only way if brushing before dry with a second coat it will never be as good + for @dotes comment. The result is thin but dries rough. You can also use the silicone oil with this with the same caveat. For what modules is the endomorphism ring a division ring? Well, I mentioned I am new to woodworking and you have all been so helpful I thought I'd reply with something to make you laugh. Will wood glue hold two pieces of wood with a polyurethane finish? Another way to get it nice an smooth is to do a rubbed finish. JavaScript is disabled. rev 2020.11.24.38066, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Home Improvement Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. It is rough to the touch now and I am trying to get it to be as smooth as possible. Is a “painting pad / sponge square” indeed the way to get a smooth wood surface after applying polyurethane? You mention rubbing it on. The trick with foam brushes is to not squeeze them—just dip them in the can and then dangle to drip off a little, don't drag them across the can edge. In spite of what it probably says on the can, it does help a lot to thin regular poly some as has been mentioned. First spraying left to right then top to bottom, 3 light coats 10-15 mins between sprays. How soon can we stain a freshly-sanded deck after it got drenched in the rain? A slightly damp cloth can help pick up anything remaining (but make sure the wood is dry before you apply). If you want to use a brush, apply it fairly heavily and quickly then let it settle. I generally have gone after my finishes after a few days, but I'm guessing you are correct. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. I've never done this before so I'm guessing I screwed up somewhere or am using a bad brand of polyurethane... or maybe just need to apply more coats. Is a software open source if its source code is published by its copyright owner but cannot be used without a commercial license? http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=1269, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. The polyurethane directions say to lightly sand and apply another coat. Then I sand with steel wool--very lightly, then switch to fine sandpaper, going down to 600 grit, then 1000 grit wet with a little dish soap thrown in there. Small bubbles may form on the surface as air comes out but it will be OK. You need to sand the finish with either the 220 you have or some steel wool (#0000?) I used a minwax pretreatment for the wood before staining as well. For the stain I used minwax polyshades stain and polyurethane in one. Cooler temperatures yield slower drying times. site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa.