# Applying Poly



## SarahFair (Apr 5, 2015)

Okay, so my table is now ready for its glossy poly coat(s).

I bought a large synthetic brush but I also have large foam brushes. 
Which is better at applying a even coat?

Im afraid with the foam brush it will leave a "foamy" look at the end of the table but with the synthetic brush it will leave brush marks.


Do you sand the first coat, last coat?
I have sand paper and steel wool.


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## NE GA Pappy (Apr 5, 2015)

Sarah, I use a synthetic brush and water based poly.  The first time I used it, I was a little skeptical about the durability of a water based product.  I used it on some red oak stair treads going to the upstairs in our house.  That was 12 years ago, and it is still looking good.  It may not be as shiny as it was, but it has worn every bit as good as the poly on the hardwood floors in the living room.


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## QuakerBoy (Apr 5, 2015)

Apply poly with bristled brush is my preference.  I do a very light sanding after each coat with 320 grit.  Just to knock off the dust that may have settled while drying.  Wipe with a dry rag or blow off with compressed air..apply poly again.  Repeat until you have the coverage you want.  After last coat sand lightly and rub with a good furniture polish or lemon/ orange oil then wipe off excess oils.


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## The Longhunter (Apr 5, 2015)

SarahFair said:


> Im afraid with the foam brush it will leave a "foamy" look at the end of the table but with the synthetic brush it will leave brush marks.
> 
> The finish will self level with the foam brush.  This is one of those Chevy/Ford things, but IMO you are more likely to leave marks with the brush, unless you "tip" it.
> 
> ...


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## NE GA Pappy (Apr 5, 2015)

Yep, thin the first coat if you use solvent based poly.  It is not necessary to thin the water based. The water based will make the grain of the wood hair up a little more than the solvent based. Knock the grain off with 320 grit paper. I always used 0000 steel wool between coats, wipe it down good with a tack rag and recoat. I don't do anything with the last coat.


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## SarahFair (Apr 7, 2015)

I havent applied the first coat of poly yet because of damp the weather but I have noticed my last coat of stain, while its all even color the shine is not even.
Its like streaks of shine, streaks of matte. Should I use 0000 steel wool and sand down that last coat or should I just leave it?


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## shakey gizzard (Apr 7, 2015)

SarahFair said:


> I havent applied the first coat of poly yet because of damp the weather but I have noticed my last coat of stain, while its all even color the shine is not even.
> Its like streaks of shine, streaks of matte. Should I use 0000 steel wool and sand down that last coat or should I just leave it?



Trial and error! Poly can blend!


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## SarahFair (Apr 9, 2015)

Im having a problem with air bubbles. 
I read i can use a blow torch to raise the bubbles up while the poly is wet. 

I doubt have a blow torch.
can i just buy one of the mini soldering torches or a torch lighter? 

I tried a regular lighter and it set the poly on fire


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## QuakerBoy (Apr 9, 2015)

Try a bristled brush..light strokes with the grain in one direction.  Don't shake your poly.  Stir it.  Wet poly is full of solvents..the can probably says flammable


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## SarahFair (Apr 9, 2015)

I've been doing all that 

I even got the expensive brush


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## QuakerBoy (Apr 9, 2015)

SarahFair said:


> I've been doing all that
> 
> I even got the expensive brush



If a lighter ignites the polu..i wouldnt put a torch near it.  Just sayn


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## shakey gizzard (Apr 9, 2015)

The torch technique is usually used for epoxy coatings. stir gently and use a high dollar brush. Several thin coats are mo betta than one thick un!


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

I haven't touched the table in days because last weekend, after I applied a coat,  everyone was in and out in and out of the garage and stirred up a bunch of junk. 

I've sanded it twice and applied 2 more coats but it's pretty much ruined..

can I sand it all the way down to the finish and start reapplying or am i going to have to strip it and start all the way over?


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## j_seph (Apr 17, 2015)

SarahFair said:


> I haven't touched the table in days because last weekend, after I applied a coat,  everyone was in and out in and out of the garage and stirred up a bunch of junk.
> 
> I've sanded it twice and applied 2 more coats but it's pretty much ruined..
> 
> *can I sand it all the way down to the finish and start reapplying or am i going to have to strip it and start all the way over*?



I like your perseverance


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

j_seph said:


> I like your perseverance


Don't admire it too much. If I wasnt going to sell it I'd have taken the hatchet to it


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## rjcruiser (Apr 17, 2015)

Are you shaking the poly to mix it up?  That will cause air bubbles....don't shake...stir only.

I think sanding will do fine.  Last time I polyed something in the garage, I put fans on the ground to keep the air moving around and get it to dry quicker.  A mosquito happened to ruin the final quote...so...gave it an extra coat after a light sanding to get him out.


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

rjcruiser said:


> Are you shaking the poly to mix it up?  That will cause air bubbles....don't shake...stir only.
> 
> I think sanding will do fine.  Last time I polyed something in the garage, I put fans on the ground to keep the air moving around and get it to dry quicker.  A mosquito happened to ruin the final quote...so...gave it an extra coat after a light sanding to get him out.


Nope..
Im stirring, letting it sit, using a good brush and Ive even tried thinning it. 

This go around I think Im going to take it into a unused bathroom where the air doesnt get much circulation


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## shakey gizzard (Apr 17, 2015)

You haven't mentioned if you were using water based poly or oil. just curious?


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

I can't see where it differentiates. Its Minwax indoor / outdoor in a green can, helmsman spar urethane clear gloss.


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

What grit sandpaper should I use to sand it down?

Its hard to get a picture of the bubbles with all the reflection from the gloss but here are some where the light reflects off the finish. 











|


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## QuakerBoy (Apr 17, 2015)

Sand it out.  Apply thinner coats.


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## QuakerBoy (Apr 17, 2015)

Try 220 grit.  Then lightly with 320.  Very thin coats.


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

QuakerBoy said:


> Try 220 grit.  Then lightly with 320.  Very thin coats.



Ill give it a try!


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## j_seph (Apr 17, 2015)

Cant you buy it in a spray can?


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## rjcruiser (Apr 17, 2015)

Looks like dust particles to me and not air bubbles.  But...hard to tell from the photos...so...maybe I'm just seeing things.


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

It is dust and a few air bubbles. 
Im going to sand it out here in the garage and take it inside to poly it


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## Backlasher82 (Apr 17, 2015)

Please post some pics when you're happy with the finish, I love the design!


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## SarahFair (Apr 17, 2015)

Do I want to wipe the polyurethane on? 



Backlasher82 said:


> Please post some pics when you're happy with the finish, I love the design!



Thank you!


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## JBranch (Apr 18, 2015)

Spar Varnish is one of the more difficult to apply. I found this paragraph below while seeing if you could use a reducer. Remember to use a good quality thinner and sand the coats you have smooth before application. 


 Thin the varnish 50% with mineral spirits, paint thinner, or naptha. Then get yourself a clean cotton rag (old t-shirt material works great), and fold it into a nice square applicator pad. I like it to be palm-sized. Wet the applicator with your thinner and then dip it into your diluted finish. Wipe on smooth thin coats, overlapping the previous stroke with each pass by about half. This method will result in a super smooth finish with no bubbles and no brush strokes. But remember, you will need to apply twice as many coats to get to your desired film thickness. Because you are actually applying less material to the surface, the dry time is significantly decreased as well. So in some climates (hot and dry), you’ll be able to apply as many as three coats per day. Just remember that when you use a wipe-on urethane, you aren’t trying to flooding on a real thick layer. You are just coating the surface evenly with a thin wet film.


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## SarahFair (Apr 20, 2015)

I wiped on a coat of the thinned poly yesterday. 

Why did I not start out doing this? 
It will need another coat or two but is smooth as a baby's bottom. 

I also have another table that I needed to apply poly to. I did its first thinned coat yesterday and I'm interested to see how mammy coats is going to take


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## SarahFair (Apr 22, 2015)

How many clays of thinned poly would yall suggest for the seat of a chair?


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