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I'm going to put my 2 cents worth in here and a lot of you will probably not agree with me but please hear me out before pooh-poohing my statements. I've been finishing bare wood for more than 40 years - cabinets, furniture, floors, and a lot of custom high-dollar rifle, shotgun, and pistol stocks. The one thing I know to be true when staining and varnishing wood is the more you sand the more grain you will see, Now, let me clarify this statement - I start with 150 grit paper then move to 220 grit - just as most people do. But if you really want to have eye-popping grain and super smooth finishes then you need to take it further. After the 220 grit I move to 320, 400, then 600 grit. I always do the 220, 320, 400, and 600 grits by hand - NEVER with a machine. Waste of time? Not hardly, I've tested this process and there is definitely a huge difference in grain appearance and the smoothness of the final finish. It's the proverbial "night-and-day" type of thing. Once of my most cherished pieces is a dining room table made of birch and stained a dark ebony to get a Japanese "black lacquer" appearance. This table has such a deep and lustrous appearance that you'd think I spent days and days rubbing and polishing it. Actually, after sanding to 600 grit and staining, I put 3 coats of Minwax Gloss Polyurethane - sanding with 600 grit after the first coat then using 0000 steel wool after the second coat. The results were outstanding. Super high gloss but you can still see the wonderful grain showing though. So take it from me - sand, sand, sand if you want a truly unique finish.
Nice description thx :-) in many places I often hear that going beyond 320 can cause issues with wood accepting stain uniformly. Have you experienced this? Cheers
@@veguitars Only 'natural' finishes are problematic with finely sanded wood. (Hard wax oil, Tung oil, etc) Synthetic finishes - Sprayable varnish, Acrylic, PU top coat have zero adhesion issues even with 2000 grit sanded panels. After all, these finishes are the most widely used kind of finishing for automotive paint! (2000 grit sanding is more or less a mandate here 😜)
@veguitars the trouble accepting stain comes from the wood grain becoming packed with fine sawdust from high grit sanding. By sanding with the grain by hand, the sawdust is cleared out of the channels allowing stain to penetrate evenly.
Prime your brush with mineral spirits (or water for water based) and shake it out before that first dip into the poly. It will clean up easier and last much longer. Love the sports bottle trick.
Great point, JA! Another tip is to use a prick punch to make holes in the rim groove for the lid, so that most of the excess will drain back into the can. As the can's content gets used, lumps of dried and hardened finish will prevent proper sealing.
@@jageo48 If it's expensive paint or finish I'll actually pour it off into a fresh can if I'm trying to preserve it for future use. But yeah this is a great idea to save the fuss.
@@Mainbusfail Thanks. I'm actually a hack woodworker but love this channel and hope to set up a real shop someday. But my dad sold ultra high-end paint and brushes (fine art stuff) back in the 50's and 60's and it was the one real life hack he taught me. Don't skimp on brushes and keep them clean and they will last decades. It's proven to be true.
I used to spray in an industrial setting shooting oil based paint all day. My favorite mask was the blue Belcamp masks from NAPA automotive supply stores.. I don't know if they're still available, but they were less expensive than 3M, had a MUCH better fit and seal. Now I have a 3M just because I don't need it nearly as often. If you're spraying a lot, and by a lot I mean upwards of 50 or so gallons a week you should get a fresh air supply system that covers your entire body because you will absorb the solvents into your skin and will probably eventually wake up completely numb from your knees and elbows down to fingers and toes like I did.. I wear a mask no matter what I spray, no matter how much time I might be exposed. I had to learn the hard way when companies didn't care and neither did OSHA ..
Great GREAT advice. One thing I just can't get through to kids is how that stuff builds up, even if you're using an aerosol once in a while. Of course, being young they're "bullet proof" and it's just not "cool" to be careful! I'm with you - I wear a mask every single time I spray. It really isn't worth gambling with your health. At the end of the day, that's ALL you have!
@@Zzrdemon6633 I was applying for a cabinetmaking job a few years back when I met an older lady who was their main finisher. You could tell that when she was younger, she'd be an easy 8.5-9/10. I thought for sure she was 45+. Nope. asked my buddy who worked there. She was 32. 32! She smoked and sprayed all day.
I’m in this one, too. Yes. Always wear a full-face respirator and body suit. No matter what you’re spraying, waterborne or solvent-based. When I suit up to shoot 2K solvent-based polyurethane, I can’t smell a thing; if you smell the solvent, it means you’re not completely protected. And, as every finisher knows, this stuff (especially the catalyst) is really nasty for your health. So, take the right precautions, and enjoy the aesthetics-and superior durability-of a spray-on finish! Once you’ve mastered the gun, you’ll never trade it in for anything else.
I bought the Trend mask on you recommendation after one of your other videos. I've used many masks over the years and the Trend is the best thing since sliced bread !. A tip I got from one of my co workers a few years back in relation to the final coat of varnish. It works best when you are working on a flat surface, ie. you have a door on trestles or a bench. As your varnish is getting tacky, spray a fine mist using a trigger spray bottle, from above of whatever the recommended thinner medium for your product is. It doesn't take much, but it evens out the surface of the coating. I tried it on my new oak panel doors and they looked like they had been factory pre finished. Try it on some off cuts, it will cost nothing but a spray bottle and varnish. Keep those videos coming.
@@williambranham6249 Yes William, whatever your chosen varnish suggests for thinning. Get the mist as fine as you can and hold it at extended arms height. White spirit as we call it here for oil based varnish. I've used the same procedure to finish gloss lacquer on the final coat on a model, using an air brush and it leaves a glass like finish. As long as the dogs dont wander into the area.
I'm a paid professional. I've made hundreds of pieces of furniture. I pay to live by doing it. And it's amazing how much I still have to learn. Thank you for being such an amazing place to learn from. One day I'd love to be your "competition" here on the tube. But that is out of admiration.
My late father in his day use to hand paint coaches and when I started to make wooden signs, he showed me how to polyurethane them. I used to get a mirror finished with about 8 coats, the first coat was thinned, the rest not. I used to to go across, diagonal and finally with the grain wiping my brush of with every wipe. Perfect.
"slick as snot"! Now THERE's an expression I haven't heard in a LONG time! We used to say "slicker than snot on a doorknob"! Always enjoy your videos and appreciate how you keep the information simple and EXPLAINED without any silliness or need to entertain like a lot of guys!
Good work bud, absolutely love your insights. Very helpful for people who are past the beginning stages but have no real clue what we are doing. Cheers mate!
Being a professional finisher and owning several thousand dollars in spray equipment with access to I dustrial finishes makes me feel incredibly fortunate when I see what hobbyist finishing entails.
I learned that technique from Steve Ramsey from Working for Mere Mortals. It works great. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised at the finished product.
@@befmx31 I also would find his tutorial on how to apply ploy. I did not like the way Stumpy brushed it on, he worked it to much, you should not apply it like you paint and that is just what he was doing.
I always thin my 1st coat 50/50 to seal. If wanting to end up with a semi-gloss or satinfinish I layer my 1st coats with high gloss and top coat with the semi-gloss or satin. I believe this won't obscure the wood grain as mush if you just coated with semi-gloss or satin.
something else youre doing that you maybe not be aware of, higher gloss levels boast a harder surface, so if something were to eventually scratch your finished product, its less likely to penetrate the high gloss coat, meaning its fixable without stripping down your entire finish. just fill with new poly, sand the fill down smooth with the previous layer, and repeat your final coat
Just bought a used dining set I am refinishing and am a little overwhelmed by the information out there. I love your channel. Very easy to follow and informative. Thank you.
Great video as always. I would like to add a suggestion, if you are going to use satin or simi gloss varnish you should use it only on the last one or two layers. By using gloss to build up layers you will get a deep rich look to the work and not a dull muddy look.
I found another use for polyurethane and that is over flat latex paint. I made some cabinets for my and because I use working on vehicles as well as woodworking I wanted a cleanable surface. I tried satin polyurethane instead of satin latex paint. I've never liked semi gloss or satin latex paint for durability. It never seems to really dry and it stays somewhat soft. So I shot my finished cabinets with polyurethane. Its been a few years now and finish is holding up well. I can get oil a grease on it and it wipes right off.
Not trying to sound like a fan boy here, but I really love your content and presentation. Been following for years and it still keeps me interested and informed every time.
No matter what I say it's going to come out wrong probably. As much as these videos are helpful to a lot of people I miss when things were being built. I learned tricks from build videos that the builder didn't mention and might not have been aware that it wasn't something that a lot of woodworkers knew. I bought your plans for the clamp rack but never used it after seeing the last rack you made. I've copied that rack and like it so much more than anything that anybody has made. Thank you for all the videos and links to products.
We have never been a "watch me build this" channel. This channel focuses on specific skills, techniques and shop related content. We build a lot of things in our videos, but we rarely present them as complete project tutorials. This video clip explains it in more detail: ua-cam.com/video/-S9aibzmF3w/v-deo.html
Glad you mentioned turpentine. I like to use it for thinning poly. I think it gives a better feel. The finish seems to flow on more smoothly. Mineral spirits works just fine, of course. Just my preference.
I've been spraying poly for a few years now and have been very happy with the results. Same prep and between coats procedures in the video. I finish with a final 400 grit wet sand and rub with wool-lube and 0000 steel wool.
I used to have spare brain cells, well that was before you went and filled them up with all that knowledge about polyurethane finishing. Thanks Stumpy, I've got to go and get a respirator now.
I got one during covid since im in healthcare. Before the n95s came out. Glad i bought a full painters mask face shield. I had to fly a lot at the start of pandemic. A baby had a rancid diaper. Respirators have many uses! Cannot wear those on planes now, that was when it was all essential travel in the whole airplane was empty. Or full of Pilots off work coughing in the empty seats with a red face.
To slow down drying time in summer, we often add a small amount of "Penetrol". That also helps make brush marks completely disappear. Also... instead of using wet cloths (water or alcohol) on wood to wipe any dust off before painting, we are using "tack cloths". 🤘😎 I love this channel!!!
I spent a lot of years painting professionally I don't think there is many products that I have not used. I appreciate the information you bring to the table. All of it is good solid information. I don't recall you taking about making adjustments to your polyurethane to deal with changes in humidity or heat. you can not always paint in perfect weather so you need to make adjustments to deal with the weather changes. I almost never use polyurethane straight out of the can. I typically thin it a little bit just to get it to level out on the surface a little better, it slows the drying little bit and allows me to dry brush it for a more consistent finish. This will help to keep from scrubbing the finish, better to thin it a bit to get a better finish, I have often started by applying the first coat thin, (wipe on) that way the product sinks deeper into the surface. I think that if you have the time, wipe on is going to give you a better overall finish, yes its a lot more coats but well worth the effort.
For those beginners I want to add that the fine print on the can of polyurethane advises that while drying time can be a few hours to overnight or so , that cure time can be 15 days and longer. The difference between dry and cure is that you can light sand after drying but in order to use or to to place objects on a finished piece the finish should be allowed to cure. Also there are temperature and humidity considerations that affect drying time which are explained on the can as well.
I just learned that the hard way. My end tables turned out amazing and because a couple days went by and it was dry to the touch we put the lamps on them. It did not take long to leave marks in the surface. Dry and cure dried are two different things for sure.
@@greenpea9412 One of the deficits of our educational system is there is not enough emphasis on “read the fine print” . Going forward, fine print is more important than ever.
Iv been applying polyurethane for a month with a brush and having bad results, 1 wipe on coat filtered and my mind is absolutely blown how much better it looks. Im doing a 40x72” table and its not very easy with the brush. You the man! Thank you!
My introduction to poly was stressful. I was making a 4x8' turtle habitat out of plywood, and I had some pretty big pieces. Now I know I was fighting myself by doing the finish in the same garage that I was doing the sanding. I had a bear of a time getting the finish to go down without bubbles, and I was using the same product you are, and brushing it too. I wonder if some of the bubbles were dust-caused. I wound up doing MANY applications and sanding in between, and learned just what kind of scratch the finish will tolerate filling in. So it wasn't all a loss. I tried brushing, thinning and wiping, staining pads, and even "brushing" with those weird rectangular pad things that puts down a lot of finish in one swipe. I eventually got it done well enough, but what a learning experience. I wish I had found your videos first, but I probably would have landed in the same predicament, knowing myself.
Please consider making a video on how to apply finish to furniture pieces. Especially the inner corners are a pain to finish and sand before next coat.
As always, on point! You always present everything in easy to understand, but super thorough detail, that just is so elegant. Even your smooth, even voice makes for easy listening. You sir, are a born teacher! Woodworking is just your side-hustle! :)
Thank you for the video as I'm doing a kitchen bench with live edges for the first time, I want it to look nice and don't want toess it up so your video is greatly helping e with my choices on what to do and use. Thanks again for the very well done video.
Stumpy, I was buying some hardwood from a supplier in my area. While I was there, we started talking about wood turning and finishes. He grabbed a dusty bowl on the shelf and blew off the dust. He said, “If you like shiny finish, use high gloss wipe on poly. Wipe it on wet and keep it wet for a while adding more poly. Keep rubbing until it goes past the sticky stage and it will harden and smooth out”. So, I bought some and followed his advice. Those bowls came out very shiny and smooth. Also, when I took a woodworking class back in the 70’s, the instructor showed us some of his very high gloss projects. He said, if the wood with no finish doesn’t shine, your finish will not be as good as it could be. So, I sand my bowls to 2000 grit and the people that bought them(no matter what finish used) comment on how smooth they are. This is just my opinion though! Keep up the instructive videos! Respectfully, Kevin
Finishing on a lathe is totally different from finishing a piece of furniture. Try "keeping it wet while adding more poly" and "keep rubbing until it goes past the sticky stage" with polyurethane on a stationary surface and let me know how it works :)
I'd add two dont's for the rag: Strong, contrasting colours (unless you like red dots on your pale birch) Very worn out cloths - they are more likely to release a ton of fibres/dust. Painting - one would think that by now I had run out of things to stumble over... But I always find something new.
One thing missing from *every* wipe/brush finishing video, on every channel, is them doing it on an actual project, and not just a flat board. I've been waiting years for someone to actually build some boxes, or whatever that has multiple sides, or curves, or just anything that resembles an actual project, and then finishes them with poly, shellac, etc... by hand. My issues have never been with a flat board, it's when I get to the corner of a box, and need to move to the other side without letting any build on that corner, or to get it around the curve of a two sided object. Basically, UA-cam is crying out for a real world, actual project finishing video... especially on smaller, detailed things, nut just a giant table top and square legs. The only people who seem to show finishing on detailed, real projects, are those just demonstrating their cool, expensive sprayers. How do I poly my boxes without leaving any marks? How do I do a piece that wraps around and has two faces that are vertical? Another video idea is how the heck to appropriately apply glue on projects where you simply cannot get in the space to wipe it off with a wet towel, or get it with a scraper, because it is so tight you already had to pre-finish the inside. I love this channel, and this is a great video... I just always get bummed when another finishing video is just on a flat piece of wood. People, like myself, need real world examples. Not many people are just wiping their poly onto a flat piece of wood, laying down on a bench. We have a project finishes, even just a box, and that is where we are trying to apply the finish. Cheers.
Totally! Even figuring out how to set up a piece for drying correctly can sometimes be a challenge, and I'm sure there are go-to techniques to make this eaiser. (I'm thinking of avoiding dimples with finishing the opposite side, etc)
The general idea if you've got a problematic area is to apply more, thinner coats. Tilting the piece to ensure the working face is as level as possible can also help where possible. As for glue, I've had luck in tight spaces with bamboo skewers. Cut them & sand to a shape that will match the profile of the bit you want to scrape & then run it along there at an angle once the glue has begun to thicken up. It should be at the point where the glue will come up easily & will travel along the skewer a bit so it's easy to remove. If it bunches up then it's too wet, & if the skewer bounces off the surface then it's too dry.
Welcome to the world of a new home construction painter. A library full of cabinets with doors and drawers is a combination of nightmare, masking, and problem solving master class. You have two choices - brush everything or spray everything. I recommend getting good at using a compressed air HVLP process.
If working on a home made project I try to get as much finish on the individual pieces as possible before final assembly. Than do a final coat after it's put together if needed. When refinishing an old piece however I just do one or two sides per day depending on drying time. Yeah it takes much longer but it beats having drippy saggy poly on your finished project.
This is why a wipe on finish rules. Maybe takes more time but a LOT easier and forgiving. I like a 50% poly, 30% thinner, 20% boiled linseed oil. Flood it well initially. After 15 min wipe off excess, buff with 0000 steel wool between well dried coats, final buff out with wax and more 0000 steel wool. Mis dos centavos.
Thanks for another well thought out and produced video. Finishing is not my favorite part of the job, so your tips a d techniques are just what I need - get the job done with minimal fuss and best efficiency! Thanks!!
I tried rolling it on with a foam sleeve onto a large table top and the results are impressive. Lays very flat and even, much quicker than brushing it on.
I tried a foam roller on some shelves a few months back and it caused a lot of bubbles to form. Ended up having to quickly brush it to get rid of the bubbles.
@@ferrumignis Zar self-leveling polyurethane and a fine foam roller. Zar is the best quality water, oil or oil-modified poly on the market and the easiest to apply without issues. It’s matte poly is by far the easiest. And it’s the only brand of poly you’re ever going to find that won’t amber on white surfaces. A bit more cash, but you get what you pay for. AND you only have to wait a mere two hours (or less, if water based) between coats.
Wipe-on poly rocks! It's super easy to get a nice finish. An alternative to mineral spirits for brushing is Penetrol by Flood. First coat is thinned 50/50; subsequent coats are thinned 10%-15%. Penetrol helps the poly or varnish soak into the wood on the first coat and helps with flow and leveling on subsequent coats. That's what I did when I had a sailboat with teak trim and the varnish looked like it had been sprayed onto the wood. Between coats sanding was done with 100 grit paper. It was not too coarse. It also helps to only brush from a dry area into a wet area; never back-and-forth because the brush can leave dents in the wet finish. A few days ago I needed to apply oil based Varathane to a solid core door that was to become a workbench top. I decided to try the forbidden - [gasp!] applying it with a roller. The roller had a soft 1/2" nap. In spite of the warnings on the can, the napped roller did not introduce bubbles. It actually went on better than with a brush. I just dipped some finish out of the can with an unwaxed paper cup and poured it over the door; then spread with the roller. Wrapping the roller with foil between coats let me use one roller for the entire job and then it was allowed to dry and tossed. The finish was not good enough for fine furniture but it was entirely good enough for an interior household door and certainly easier than brushing.
Ah... wonder if the penetrol helped with the roller. I have used it to get a smoother surface on some cheap bookcases I painted (with a small foam roller) and and it definitely improved results to a nice smooth glossy look.
Here in New Mexico, it's dry. 8% humidity usually. Polyurethane and tung oil are my preferences. I just dip a shop towel in the can and wipe it on. I use only gloss. If I want a satin finish, I scuff the part, dilute it 50/50, and wipe it thin. The only other finish I use is amber shellac. Those have to be kept out of the sun or they develop "crazing".
I have a trick for finishing porous wood to get a glass smooth finish quicker. Sure, you can use grain fillers but also you can fill the grain pours with finish. Use the full thickness finish and pour some on the work piece then using a flat knife or body filler spreader (Bondo Spreader) and push the finish into the pours while leaving a thin a coat as possible. Sand and repeat if necessary. Or continue with your regular finishing methods. If finishing a stained piece sand very lightly only to get the main bumps down as the finish will be super thin.
Great advice! I think oil-based poly is far superior to water-based. My favorite type is known as "hard oil", and a great example is Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. It goes on very thin, flattens well, and is the most scratch-proof poly I have found. Odor-free mineral spirits or paint thinner are great for brushing or spraying. If you're a total savage, you can water sand and polish it for a stunningly smooth, hard finish.
Generally true, waterbased product have come a long way over the last decade or so, and have their place depending on the function of the piece. For a tabletop or similar that will encounter more traffic opting for solvent based is great for durability, but for something like a bookshelf or side table with just a lamp then waterbased can be more than adequate, and in the long term better for you as an applicator if you do a reasonable volume of work, given less VOC exposure. Having said that, there's a lot to be said for plant based oils and wax finishes, which may require more maintainence, but ultimately better
So, I don't rightly know, but I've always heard you shouldn't move the brush back and forth as we see here because it is more likely to make air bubbles in the finish. I've always gone in one direction only, or at least made sure the brush came completely off the work piece before changing direction. I don't know if it actually matters, but it gives results I'm happy with.
Hi Again Stumpy! An imitation Yachtsman? Actually I use a good grade of Oxtail brush for my "oil base" clears. Are you going to do a video on oiling wood with linseed/flax? When building guitars I handsand the neck to 600 then apply all the oil it wants to drink. Repeat after 3 days. After it's dry, use very small bit of talc (not cornstarch) on the neck whenever it is humid. This the absolute slickest finish I have found. The player's skin oils combine with the flax. You can do the same thing to a wood solidbody if the wood is pretty enough. TIP: pour a little bit of thinner into your brush, and knock off drips before first dip. The brush will clean far more easily. Same/same with water and latex/acrylic coatings.
I use a 10 inch flooring finish applicator for furniture (the foam kind not lambskin) it is very quick and easy to leave straight even coats with it for any flat surface.
Brown paper bags from the grocery store - - - I remember those from many decades ago. They had multiple uses beyond the free grocery carrying container the stores used them for (Textbook covers, surface protection, juvenile art projects, costumes of all types, finishing paper for varnish, and much more.) I can even remember when shopping for weekly groceries for a family of six usually averaged to abooout $10 per bag. The good old days. Recently, the only time I have seen brown paper bags in a grocery store, they are packs of lunch bags (much smaller, with less surface roughness.) Some other types of stores still have them, or similar brown paper bags, but they are the exception and scarce. (Ace Hardware for example) The modern blown plastic "t-shirt style" bags are useless unless you can find a place that takes them for recycling. (In my area, both Lowe's and Home Depot have bins for them.) They are also useful (if there are no holes in the bottom) for cat litter and dog droppings.
Yep. No brown paper bags anymore. But, I receive a lot of packages that are filled with crumpled brown paper as a packing material. I save the paper, spread it out flat on the bench, then fold it up to use later. It only takes a few seconds. I'm not sure where I read it, but I recall seeing that the silica in brown paper makes it around 1200 grit !!
I remember my grandmother & mother saving all the butter wrappers during the year to line the cake tins and pudding bowls for the Christmas cooking - back when butter came in paper wrappers not foil or plastic tubs.
@@brucelee3388 You can still get butter sticks wrapped in paper. We get a box of four unsalted about every 2nd time we go to the grocery store. And it still comes from cows, unlike the tubs of margarine (or its original name tthat i remember, oleomargarine (or just oleo.)
Instead of using semi-gloss and satin finishes, just use hi-gloss and buff the final coat with 0000 steel wool. The flattening agents in the other finishes also muddy the grain patterns of that nice beautiful wood with the extra special grain patterns that you spent beaucoup bucks on. If you feel you must use the semi or satin, get yourself a small can of that for your final coat and use hi-gloss underneath it. The sheen will look the same, but you'll see and enjoy the wood a whole lot more.
I’ve got a butcher block island with my kitchen sink! Ive been searching for advise from professionals on the best sealant. They all say food grade oil. But I won’t be prepping food on it. Then they say gloss but I hate, hate, hate the shine. LoL, it’s been over a year with no finish bc I’ve been conflicted about finishes. I really like the idea about starting with a gloss and finishing with an end coat of satin. So glad you commented.
Stumpy, I hope you read this. I mixed a new can of mineral spirits with poly for a wipe on finish and it wouldn't dry properly even after a few days. Seems that some of the odorless mineral spirits now contain water. Even though it says on the can it can be used as a paint thinner it definitely didn't work with the poly. I had to strip it all off and start from scratch wasting all my time and effort.
I like to wrap my brushes in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. This works well for rollers if you need to make a run to the hardware store or have lunch. (Sometimes works overnight)
Very informative and clear. Eventhough it could give the wood an uneven finish thickness, what about spraying the PU ? Is it worth ? When working with large panels of plywood (intended for kitchen cabinets), hand finishing would take a infinite amount of time.
I've never ventured into thinning finishes mainly because I had never been exposed to it. Now that I see the benefits I'll have to give it a try. Something I've found that works VERY well for a smooth streak-free finish is those painting pads you get at home depot. They are rectangular, have a foam backing so they hold a lot of product, and many fine soft bristles so the urethane lays very flat. Take a bit of finesse but the results are fantastic
I agree. They allow you to get a REALLY nice consistent surface. I generally only use them for water base though, as it is easy to clean them with lots of water. But for a table top, they leave a GREAT surface. I have some great brushes that can give that finish, but, those brushes are expensive. Sure, spraying is the best, but when I don't want to get out a sprayer, and don't have a spray booth, then those pads are great.
are these like the ones that you use as an edger when you paint walls (or that is what they are sold for... I don't use them for that because they smear paint VERY smooth, as you mentioned)
so glad you used a real brush not those darn foam things. i tried a foam brush once and it was impossible to lay the poly on evenly. i guess people just don't know how to clean a brush properly. a 1/4 cup of thinners at most is all you need for a perfectly clean brush that size. and really only takes a couple of minutes. i am still using the same high quality brush after over 20 years of use.
I always use the foam brushes and never have any issues with them. Of course I'm only an amatuer/beginner, but I've used both water and oil based polys and no one's ever said the finish was uneven. (and I do know how to clean a brush, I just prefer not to)
I'm loving these finish videos. I've been making custom knife sheaths for all my of my chef friends, and mineral oil just doesn't cut it for these. I never had the guts to try my own poly mixes until i find your channel. I tried mixing my own wipe-on poly after the last video, and the finish turned out great. I find it much easier to work with the thinned-out mixture. And, the paper bag trick worked like a charm. Thank you for the inspiration.
Great tips. One thing not mentioned is the primary reason/benefit of thinning i.e. the reduction or elimination of bubbles that form in unthinned poly.
Wiping method is especially useful on items with a lot of "joints" like chairs, things with spindles, shelving units, etc. Brushing and keeping a wet edge is tough when you have something like a chair with 10 back spindles. Bob Flexner also calls it a very foolproof method.
Hi! Thank you for very useful video and great tips - immediate subscription! I tried to do something similar, but something went a bit off, so I’m kindly asking you for an advice: I have a wooden IKEA table. Its top made of several wooden blocks, so it’s not a single sheet of wood. I dyed it using water-based dye, and covered it with the first coat of polyurethane lacquer. The thing is that after applying the first coat I can see that the surface gone patchy - some wooden blocks are glossy and smooth, and some - dull and a bit rough to the touch, where the wood absorbed the lacquer. I was going to use fine sandpaper to even the surface after the first coat of lacquer. But now I’m a bit confused as I don’t know if I could damage the dye layer on the dull patches and expose the wood, as it is obviously very thin. What would you suggest to do in this case? I was going to do at least three coats of lacquer with sanding in between.
Nice vid 1. I wipe on my first finish with a 50/50 mix 2. I wipe on my second finish with a 75/25 mix after a very lite sand 3. I wipe my third finish with 100% poly after a very lite sand 4. I brush on my 4th, 5th, and 6th finished (Based on application)
don't know if I missed it or so, but the wipe on has some other advantages, for all kinds of finishes. first, it can penetrate deeper. it also follows the wood structure better and doesn't "pool up" in little dents and divets. this can be a benefit if you have some mix of sanded and structured wood surface. similar for surfaces with very varying grain structure where one soaks up about everything, its easier to work with using thinned out. you can experiment and also brush on thinned and wipe off etc.
Love your videos. I bought a used kitchen table with an old dilapidated finish. I applied EZ Strip paint & varnish stripper, scraped it all off, cleaned with TSP and water then after drying went at it with an orbital sander then hand sanded to a 180 finish. Vacuumed and tack clothed very smooth and clean. Don't know the species of the wood veneer. Applied 3 coats of Varathane oil based Classic penetrating wood stain, (Ebony). It barely took any more stain on the 3rd pass. Once dry it looked and felt fabulous. Wish I could have left it like that. I then brushed on Varathane oil based Professional Premium Clear Finish 1200 Matte also in 3 coats. Firstly, nowhere on the can does it say polyurethane or urethane. Can you tell me what this top coat is? More importantly, with each successive coat the finish got worse. I doubled the time between coats. They say 3-4 hours and I went 8 or more. I had to sand as it appears there are hundreds if not thousands of little buggers less than 1mm but so noticeable to both the eye and feel. My garage is as clean as I can get it and I do not blow the dust off but vacuum instead followed by tack cloth. I this the 3rd coat with mineral spirits and the 3rd coat is worst of all. What have I done wrong. BTW, I did not shake the can, only stirred and the final coat I used a separate clean container so I could add some mineral spirits. 4:1 top coat to thinner. At this point I want to throw out 20 hours of work. Please help.
Thank you so much for your very informative video. Do you have any tips on how I could recover polyurethane that has become thick in the can? I paid a lot of money for the 5 gallon ‘Fast Dry - Heavy Traffic’ polyurethane last year and only used about half a gallon. I just opened the can today and noticed a very thick coat at the top of the can and when I took off the coat, the poly underneath was very thick. What can I do to make it light again so I could use it on my bedroom floor? I went to the store earlier today and saw the 2.5 gallon are selling for almost $150🤦🏻. I still have over 4.5 gallons left in that can. What do I do? I will appreciate any advice that I can get. Thanks What do I do,
As a painter for over 40 years. When you remove the brush from the shuck..spend a minute to pluck any new bristles, so they won't come off on your project or in the can
Thank you for informative video. I looked on line for toxicity of Poly before and I didn't remember any permanent damage from Poly. So your video concerned me a bit and so I did another search and the two websites said that Poly is relatively safe. The amount of VOCs released during a typical application is too low to produce harmful effects. You would need concentrated long term exposure to get permanent health damage. This does not occur even during industrial applications. You can get lung irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, asthmatic attacks but these are temporary. I do believe that a respirator is necessary to avoid these symptoms, but I don't think you lose brain cells from Poly. Brain cell losses could be from something else. ;)
I love idea of the sports bottle and someone suggested priming your brush with the solvent that is consistent with the product your applying. I almost never use poly straight out of the can. Add just a little solvent helps it to lay down nice. It’s typically not enough to add much more than an extra coat but it will probably keep you from having to sand between coats. Never go cheap on brushes. It’s just not worth the savings. Besides a good quality brush will last for years. Keep it clean, really clean.
Wipe on oil poly is my favorite finish (aside from shellac on small projects) and my process is nearly identical to yours. Never could get a good finish with brush on! I'll have to keep trying.
Minwax has a "Wipe-on Poly" they sell. I'm definitely going to try your thinning method with some regular poly because I think it would be more cost effective. But I really like that wipe-on that Minwax makes, and if I hit it with this car paint finish sander I got afterwards it becomes so so smooth. Anyways, great video as always. Thanks a lot for all the info, have a good day!
5:20 I'm looking forward to use a water-based varnish (namely Saman's). After sanding and before applying the varnish, should I clean the wood with Mineral Spirits, or just water?
Great video refresher, thank you. However, you mentioned this was great for indoor (agreed) and some outdoor projects. I am currently making some small Cedar wooden signs for the outside. Will this be a good application for that project? Thank you
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Lite mask link doesnt seem to work for me.
@@DestroManiak Same here.
@@DestroManiak Same
Hi! thanks for the video! Do you have a link for a video on applying water based polyurethane?
Do you have a video done for water based? When to use water based versus oil based?
I'm going to put my 2 cents worth in here and a lot of you will probably not agree with me but please hear me out before pooh-poohing my statements. I've been finishing bare wood for more than 40 years - cabinets, furniture, floors, and a lot of custom high-dollar rifle, shotgun, and pistol stocks. The one thing I know to be true when staining and varnishing wood is the more you sand the more grain you will see, Now, let me clarify this statement - I start with 150 grit paper then move to 220 grit - just as most people do. But if you really want to have eye-popping grain and super smooth finishes then you need to take it further. After the 220 grit I move to 320, 400, then 600 grit. I always do the 220, 320, 400, and 600 grits by hand - NEVER with a machine. Waste of time? Not hardly, I've tested this process and there is definitely a huge difference in grain appearance and the smoothness of the final finish. It's the proverbial "night-and-day" type of thing. Once of my most cherished pieces is a dining room table made of birch and stained a dark ebony to get a Japanese "black lacquer" appearance. This table has such a deep and lustrous appearance that you'd think I spent days and days rubbing and polishing it. Actually, after sanding to 600 grit and staining, I put 3 coats of Minwax Gloss Polyurethane - sanding with 600 grit after the first coat then using 0000 steel wool after the second coat. The results were outstanding. Super high gloss but you can still see the wonderful grain showing though. So take it from me - sand, sand, sand if you want a truly unique finish.
Nice description thx :-) in many places I often hear that going beyond 320 can cause issues with wood accepting stain uniformly. Have you experienced this? Cheers
@@veguitars
Only 'natural' finishes are problematic with finely sanded wood. (Hard wax oil, Tung oil, etc)
Synthetic finishes - Sprayable varnish, Acrylic, PU top coat have zero adhesion issues even with 2000 grit sanded panels. After all, these finishes are the most widely used kind of finishing for automotive paint! (2000 grit sanding is more or less a mandate here 😜)
@@veguitarsI would sand to 220 or 320 then stain and then go maybe 400 or 600 between stain coats and finish coats
I agree I have always gone to 600 even higher sometimes and it comes out really nice with a good finish
@veguitars the trouble accepting stain comes from the wood grain becoming packed with fine sawdust from high grit sanding. By sanding with the grain by hand, the sawdust is cleared out of the channels allowing stain to penetrate evenly.
Prime your brush with mineral spirits (or water for water based) and shake it out before that first dip into the poly. It will clean up easier and last much longer. Love the sports bottle trick.
Also helps eliminate bubbles.
Great point, JA! Another tip is to use a prick punch to make holes in the rim groove for the lid, so that most of the excess will drain back into the can. As the can's content gets used, lumps of dried and hardened finish will prevent proper sealing.
That was I was going to say. I usually forget until I have already dipped the brush 🙃
@@jageo48 If it's expensive paint or finish I'll actually pour it off into a fresh can if I'm trying to preserve it for future use. But yeah this is a great idea to save the fuss.
@@Mainbusfail Thanks. I'm actually a hack woodworker but love this channel and hope to set up a real shop someday. But my dad sold ultra high-end paint and brushes (fine art stuff) back in the 50's and 60's and it was the one real life hack he taught me. Don't skimp on brushes and keep them clean and they will last decades. It's proven to be true.
I used to spray in an industrial setting shooting oil based paint all day. My favorite mask was the blue Belcamp masks from NAPA automotive supply stores.. I don't know if they're still available, but they were less expensive than 3M, had a MUCH better fit and seal. Now I have a 3M just because I don't need it nearly as often.
If you're spraying a lot, and by a lot I mean upwards of 50 or so gallons a week you should get a fresh air supply system that covers your entire body because you will absorb the solvents into your skin and will probably eventually wake up completely numb from your knees and elbows down to fingers and toes like I did.. I wear a mask no matter what I spray, no matter how much time I might be exposed. I had to learn the hard way when companies didn't care and neither did OSHA ..
Great GREAT advice. One thing I just can't get through to kids is how that stuff builds up, even if you're using an aerosol once in a while. Of course, being young they're "bullet proof" and it's just not "cool" to be careful! I'm with you - I wear a mask every single time I spray. It really isn't worth gambling with your health. At the end of the day, that's ALL you have!
👍👍
@@Zzrdemon6633 I was applying for a cabinetmaking job a few years back when I met an older lady who was their main finisher. You could tell that when she was younger, she'd be an easy 8.5-9/10. I thought for sure she was 45+.
Nope. asked my buddy who worked there. She was 32. 32! She smoked and sprayed all day.
Aw man, sorry to hear that. I have peripheral neuropathy as well (for other reasons) and it's not exactly fun.
I’m in this one, too. Yes. Always wear a full-face respirator and body suit. No matter what you’re spraying, waterborne or solvent-based. When I suit up to shoot 2K solvent-based polyurethane, I can’t smell a thing; if you smell the solvent, it means you’re not completely protected. And, as every finisher knows, this stuff (especially the catalyst) is really nasty for your health. So, take the right precautions, and enjoy the aesthetics-and superior durability-of a spray-on finish!
Once you’ve mastered the gun, you’ll never trade it in for anything else.
I bought the Trend mask on you recommendation after one of your other videos. I've used many masks over the years and the Trend is the best thing since sliced bread !.
A tip I got from one of my co workers a few years back in relation to the final coat of varnish. It works best when you are working on a flat surface, ie. you have a door on trestles or a bench. As your varnish is getting tacky, spray a fine mist using a trigger spray bottle, from above of whatever the recommended thinner medium for your product is. It doesn't take much, but it evens out the surface of the coating. I tried it on my new oak panel doors and they looked like they had been factory pre finished. Try it on some off cuts, it will cost nothing but a spray bottle and varnish.
Keep those videos coming.
To be clear, are you saying to use thinner only in the spray bottle? Thanks in advance.
@@williambranham6249 Yes William, whatever your chosen varnish suggests for thinning. Get the mist as fine as you can and hold it at extended arms height. White spirit as we call it here for oil based varnish. I've used the same procedure to finish gloss lacquer on the final coat on a model, using an air brush and it leaves a glass like finish. As long as the dogs dont wander into the area.
@@loki7441 Thank you! USA
@@williambranham6249 Good tips should be spread to those who will make use and appreciate them. Hope it works for you.
I'm a paid professional. I've made hundreds of pieces of furniture. I pay to live by doing it. And it's amazing how much I still have to learn. Thank you for being such an amazing place to learn from. One day I'd love to be your "competition" here on the tube. But that is out of admiration.
Life is about continuing to learn!
This is the sweetest comment ever. I hope I have a friend like you in my town soon. I meet so many nasty people. This comment is a breath of fresh air
My late father in his day use to hand paint coaches and when I started to make wooden signs, he showed me how to polyurethane them. I used to get a mirror finished with about 8 coats, the first coat was thinned, the rest not. I used to to go across, diagonal and finally with the grain wiping my brush of with every wipe. Perfect.
"slick as snot"! Now THERE's an expression I haven't heard in a LONG time! We used to say "slicker than snot on a doorknob"! Always enjoy your videos and appreciate how you keep the information simple and EXPLAINED without any silliness or need to entertain like a lot of guys!
Another saying is “slicker than owl poop on a wet limb “.
We would say, “ slicker than snot on a brass doorknob”
Terrific presenter .
Clear,articulate.
Knowledgeable .
Good work bud, absolutely love your insights. Very helpful for people who are past the beginning stages but have no real clue what we are doing. Cheers mate!
Being a professional finisher and owning several thousand dollars in spray equipment with access to I dustrial finishes makes me feel incredibly fortunate when I see what hobbyist finishing entails.
Never heard the "brown paper bag" trick before. Good tip. I'll try that on my next varnish finish.
I learned that technique from Steve Ramsey from Working for Mere Mortals. It works great. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised at the finished product.
@@befmx31 I also would find his tutorial on how to apply ploy. I did not like the way Stumpy brushed it on, he worked it to much, you should not apply it like you paint and that is just what he was doing.
I always thin my 1st coat 50/50 to seal. If wanting to end up with a semi-gloss or satinfinish I layer my 1st coats with high gloss and top coat with the semi-gloss or satin. I believe this won't obscure the wood grain as mush if you just coated with semi-gloss or satin.
something else youre doing that you maybe not be aware of, higher gloss levels boast a harder surface, so if something were to eventually scratch your finished product, its less likely to penetrate the high gloss coat, meaning its fixable without stripping down your entire finish. just fill with new poly, sand the fill down smooth with the previous layer, and repeat your final coat
Just bought a used dining set I am refinishing and am a little overwhelmed by the information out there. I love your channel. Very easy to follow and informative. Thank you.
Amazing, easy to understand, well thought-out tutorial. Thank you! ❤
Great video as always. I would like to add a suggestion, if you are going to use satin or simi gloss varnish you should use it only on the last one or two layers. By using gloss to build up layers you will get a deep rich look to the work and not a dull muddy look.
don't you jut love the fact you pay more for gloss when it has less in it than satin.
@@TaylerMade Yeah, agree....but perhaps that is because you are replacing cheap flattening agents with relatively more expensive urethane?
I found another use for polyurethane and that is over flat latex paint. I made some cabinets for my and because I use working on vehicles as well as woodworking I wanted a cleanable surface. I tried satin polyurethane instead of satin latex paint. I've never liked semi gloss or satin latex paint for durability. It never seems to really dry and it stays somewhat soft. So I shot my finished cabinets with polyurethane. Its been a few years now and finish is holding up well. I can get oil a grease on it and it wipes right off.
Oil based poly?
@@robertnichols917 You want to use water base, the oil base will yellow light color finishes especially white.
Not trying to sound like a fan boy here, but I really love your content and presentation. Been following for years and it still keeps me interested and informed every time.
The Stumpster dropping QUALITY KNOWLEDGE for us all to soak up, like the wood does with that thinned out Poly. 😀👍
No matter what I say it's going to come out wrong probably. As much as these videos are helpful to a lot of people I miss when things were being built. I learned tricks from build videos that the builder didn't mention and might not have been aware that it wasn't something that a lot of woodworkers knew. I bought your plans for the clamp rack but never used it after seeing the last rack you made. I've copied that rack and like it so much more than anything that anybody has made. Thank you for all the videos and links to products.
We have never been a "watch me build this" channel. This channel focuses on specific skills, techniques and shop related content. We build a lot of things in our videos, but we rarely present them as complete project tutorials. This video clip explains it in more detail: ua-cam.com/video/-S9aibzmF3w/v-deo.html
I’ve used old crumpled grocery bags between coats to knock down nibs. Very nice video, thanks.
Glad you mentioned turpentine. I like to use it for thinning poly. I think it gives a better feel. The finish seems to flow on more smoothly. Mineral spirits works just fine, of course. Just my preference.
I've been spraying poly for a few years now and have been very happy with the results. Same prep and between coats procedures in the video. I finish with a final 400 grit wet sand and rub with wool-lube and 0000 steel wool.
Oil based or water?
I used to have spare brain cells, well that was before you went and filled them up with all that knowledge about polyurethane finishing. Thanks Stumpy, I've got to go and get a respirator now.
I got one during covid since im in healthcare. Before the n95s came out. Glad i bought a full painters mask face shield. I had to fly a lot at the start of pandemic. A baby had a rancid diaper. Respirators have many uses! Cannot wear those on planes now, that was when it was all essential travel in the whole airplane was empty. Or full of Pilots off work coughing in the empty seats with a red face.
Love how you used just the tip with long, light strokes. Came out nice!
Slick as snot! I like that. Good video, James.
To slow down drying time in summer, we often add a small amount of "Penetrol". That also helps make brush marks completely disappear.
Also... instead of using wet cloths (water or alcohol) on wood to wipe any dust off before painting, we are using "tack cloths".
🤘😎 I love this channel!!!
Thanks for being very informative and concise with the information. You’re my go to for woodworking advice!
I spent a lot of years painting professionally I don't think there is many products that I have not used. I appreciate the information you bring to the table. All of it is good solid information. I don't recall you taking about making adjustments to your polyurethane to deal with changes in humidity or heat. you can not always paint in perfect weather so you need to make adjustments to deal with the weather changes. I almost never use polyurethane straight out of the can. I typically thin it a little bit just to get it to level out on the surface a little better, it slows the drying little bit and allows me to dry brush it for a more consistent finish. This will help to keep from scrubbing the finish, better to thin it a bit to get a better finish, I have often started by applying the first coat thin, (wipe on) that way the product sinks deeper into the surface. I think that if you have the time, wipe on is going to give you a better overall finish, yes its a lot more coats but well worth the effort.
For those beginners I want to add that the fine print on the can of polyurethane advises that while drying time can be a few hours to overnight or so , that cure time can be 15 days and longer. The difference between dry and cure is that you can light sand after drying but in order to use or to to place objects on a finished piece the finish should be allowed to cure. Also there are temperature and humidity considerations that affect drying time which are explained on the can as well.
I just learned that the hard way. My end tables turned out amazing and because a couple days went by and it was dry to the touch we put the lamps on them. It did not take long to leave marks in the surface. Dry and cure dried are two different things for sure.
@@greenpea9412 One of the deficits of our educational system is there is not enough emphasis on “read the fine print” . Going forward, fine print is more important than ever.
Iv been applying polyurethane for a month with a brush and having bad results, 1 wipe on coat filtered and my mind is absolutely blown how much better it looks. Im doing a 40x72” table and its not very easy with the brush. You the man! Thank you!
Light sanding between coats makes a big difference too
My introduction to poly was stressful. I was making a 4x8' turtle habitat out of plywood, and I had some pretty big pieces. Now I know I was fighting myself by doing the finish in the same garage that I was doing the sanding. I had a bear of a time getting the finish to go down without bubbles, and I was using the same product you are, and brushing it too. I wonder if some of the bubbles were dust-caused. I wound up doing MANY applications and sanding in between, and learned just what kind of scratch the finish will tolerate filling in. So it wasn't all a loss. I tried brushing, thinning and wiping, staining pads, and even "brushing" with those weird rectangular pad things that puts down a lot of finish in one swipe. I eventually got it done well enough, but what a learning experience. I wish I had found your videos first, but I probably would have landed in the same predicament, knowing myself.
A very helpful, well-presented video. Thank you from a first-time crokinole board maker. 🏴
Another quality lesson in the subtlety of woodworking. Thank you Stumpy
Please consider making a video on how to apply finish to furniture pieces. Especially the inner corners are a pain to finish and sand before next coat.
Excellent video - great advise from a craftsman.
As always, on point! You always present everything in easy to understand, but super thorough detail, that just is so elegant. Even your smooth, even voice makes for easy listening. You sir, are a born teacher! Woodworking is just your side-hustle! :)
Thank you for the video as I'm doing a kitchen bench with live edges for the first time, I want it to look nice and don't want toess it up so your video is greatly helping e with my choices on what to do and use. Thanks again for the very well done video.
Stumpy, I was buying some hardwood from a supplier in my area. While I was there, we started talking about wood turning and finishes. He grabbed a dusty bowl on the shelf and blew off the dust. He said, “If you like shiny finish, use high gloss wipe on poly. Wipe it on wet and keep it wet for a while adding more poly. Keep rubbing until it goes past the sticky stage and it will harden and smooth out”. So, I bought some and followed his advice. Those bowls came out very shiny and smooth. Also, when I took a woodworking class back in the 70’s, the instructor showed us some of his very high gloss projects. He said, if the wood with no finish doesn’t shine, your finish will not be as good as it could be. So, I sand my bowls to 2000 grit and the people that bought them(no matter what finish used) comment on how smooth they are. This is just my opinion though! Keep up the instructive videos! Respectfully, Kevin
Finishing on a lathe is totally different from finishing a piece of furniture. Try "keeping it wet while adding more poly" and "keep rubbing until it goes past the sticky stage" with polyurethane on a stationary surface and let me know how it works :)
I'd add two dont's for the rag:
Strong, contrasting colours (unless you like red dots on your pale birch)
Very worn out cloths - they are more likely to release a ton of fibres/dust.
Painting - one would think that by now I had run out of things to stumble over... But I always find something new.
One thing missing from *every* wipe/brush finishing video, on every channel, is them doing it on an actual project, and not just a flat board. I've been waiting years for someone to actually build some boxes, or whatever that has multiple sides, or curves, or just anything that resembles an actual project, and then finishes them with poly, shellac, etc... by hand. My issues have never been with a flat board, it's when I get to the corner of a box, and need to move to the other side without letting any build on that corner, or to get it around the curve of a two sided object. Basically, UA-cam is crying out for a real world, actual project finishing video... especially on smaller, detailed things, nut just a giant table top and square legs. The only people who seem to show finishing on detailed, real projects, are those just demonstrating their cool, expensive sprayers. How do I poly my boxes without leaving any marks? How do I do a piece that wraps around and has two faces that are vertical?
Another video idea is how the heck to appropriately apply glue on projects where you simply cannot get in the space to wipe it off with a wet towel, or get it with a scraper, because it is so tight you already had to pre-finish the inside.
I love this channel, and this is a great video... I just always get bummed when another finishing video is just on a flat piece of wood. People, like myself, need real world examples. Not many people are just wiping their poly onto a flat piece of wood, laying down on a bench. We have a project finishes, even just a box, and that is where we are trying to apply the finish.
Cheers.
Totally! Even figuring out how to set up a piece for drying correctly can sometimes be a challenge, and I'm sure there are go-to techniques to make this eaiser. (I'm thinking of avoiding dimples with finishing the opposite side, etc)
The general idea if you've got a problematic area is to apply more, thinner coats. Tilting the piece to ensure the working face is as level as possible can also help where possible.
As for glue, I've had luck in tight spaces with bamboo skewers. Cut them & sand to a shape that will match the profile of the bit you want to scrape & then run it along there at an angle once the glue has begun to thicken up. It should be at the point where the glue will come up easily & will travel along the skewer a bit so it's easy to remove. If it bunches up then it's too wet, & if the skewer bounces off the surface then it's too dry.
Welcome to the world of a new home construction painter. A library full of cabinets with doors and drawers is a combination of nightmare, masking, and problem solving master class. You have two choices - brush everything or spray everything. I recommend getting good at using a compressed air HVLP process.
If working on a home made project I try to get as much finish on the individual pieces as possible before final assembly. Than do a final coat after it's put together if needed.
When refinishing an old piece however I just do one or two sides per day depending on drying time. Yeah it takes much longer but it beats having drippy saggy poly on your finished project.
This is why a wipe on finish rules. Maybe takes more time but a LOT easier and forgiving. I like a 50% poly, 30% thinner, 20% boiled linseed oil. Flood it well initially. After 15 min wipe off excess, buff with 0000 steel wool between well dried coats, final buff out with wax and more 0000 steel wool. Mis dos centavos.
Woodworking is like life - it's not how you start, it's how you finish!
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Thanks for the many quality videos. I have purchased a mask from your sponsor to support the channel
Great video. I learned stuff! To quote Stumpy, this video was slick as snot!
Thanks for another well thought out and produced video. Finishing is not my favorite part of the job, so your tips a d techniques are just what I need - get the job done with minimal fuss and best efficiency! Thanks!!
I tried rolling it on with a foam sleeve onto a large table top and the results are impressive. Lays very flat and even, much quicker than brushing it on.
I tried a foam roller on some shelves a few months back and it caused a lot of bubbles to form. Ended up having to quickly brush it to get rid of the bubbles.
@@ferrumignis Zar self-leveling polyurethane and a fine foam roller. Zar is the best quality water, oil or oil-modified poly on the market and the easiest to apply without issues. It’s matte poly is by far the easiest. And it’s the only brand of poly you’re ever going to find that won’t amber on white surfaces. A bit more cash, but you get what you pay for. AND you only have to wait a mere two hours (or less, if water based) between coats.
@@scottmassino3051 Thanks for the tip!
Always the right way to do it.
Wipe-on poly rocks! It's super easy to get a nice finish.
An alternative to mineral spirits for brushing is Penetrol by Flood. First coat is thinned 50/50; subsequent coats are thinned 10%-15%. Penetrol helps the poly or varnish soak into the wood on the first coat and helps with flow and leveling on subsequent coats. That's what I did when I had a sailboat with teak trim and the varnish looked like it had been sprayed onto the wood. Between coats sanding was done with 100 grit paper. It was not too coarse. It also helps to only brush from a dry area into a wet area; never back-and-forth because the brush can leave dents in the wet finish.
A few days ago I needed to apply oil based Varathane to a solid core door that was to become a workbench top. I decided to try the forbidden - [gasp!] applying it with a roller. The roller had a soft 1/2" nap. In spite of the warnings on the can, the napped roller did not introduce bubbles. It actually went on better than with a brush. I just dipped some finish out of the can with an unwaxed paper cup and poured it over the door; then spread with the roller. Wrapping the roller with foil between coats let me use one roller for the entire job and then it was allowed to dry and tossed. The finish was not good enough for fine furniture but it was entirely good enough for an interior household door and certainly easier than brushing.
Ah... wonder if the penetrol helped with the roller. I have used it to get a smoother surface on some cheap bookcases I painted (with a small foam roller) and and it definitely improved results to a nice smooth glossy look.
This was so well explained and so detailed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us all. God bless you.
Here in New Mexico, it's dry. 8% humidity usually. Polyurethane and tung oil are my preferences.
I just dip a shop towel in the can and wipe it on. I use only gloss. If I want a satin finish, I scuff the part, dilute it 50/50, and wipe it thin.
The only other finish I use is amber shellac. Those have to be kept out of the sun or they develop "crazing".
I have a trick for finishing porous wood to get a glass smooth finish quicker. Sure, you can use grain fillers but also you can fill the grain pours with finish. Use the full thickness finish and pour some on the work piece then using a flat knife or body filler spreader (Bondo Spreader) and push the finish into the pours while leaving a thin a coat as possible. Sand and repeat if necessary. Or continue with your regular finishing methods. If finishing a stained piece sand very lightly only to get the main bumps down as the finish will be super thin.
Searched for this video specifically to use your (Trend) link to buy from your sponsor--thanks for the great videos!
Great advice! I think oil-based poly is far superior to water-based. My favorite type is known as "hard oil", and a great example is Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. It goes on very thin, flattens well, and is the most scratch-proof poly I have found. Odor-free mineral spirits or paint thinner are great for brushing or spraying. If you're a total savage, you can water sand and polish it for a stunningly smooth, hard finish.
Generally true, waterbased product have come a long way over the last decade or so, and have their place depending on the function of the piece. For a tabletop or similar that will encounter more traffic opting for solvent based is great for durability, but for something like a bookshelf or side table with just a lamp then waterbased can be more than adequate, and in the long term better for you as an applicator if you do a reasonable volume of work, given less VOC exposure. Having said that, there's a lot to be said for plant based oils and wax finishes, which may require more maintainence, but ultimately better
So, I don't rightly know, but I've always heard you shouldn't move the brush back and forth as we see here because it is more likely to make air bubbles in the finish. I've always gone in one direction only, or at least made sure the brush came completely off the work piece before changing direction. I don't know if it actually matters, but it gives results I'm happy with.
Your videos always seem to have just enough info to be helpful without overloading my hobby level brain. Thanks!
So glad I stumbled upon this page! Your videos are great.
I really appreciate the depth of information you give. Thanks so much!
Hi Again Stumpy! An imitation Yachtsman? Actually I use a good grade of Oxtail brush for my "oil base" clears. Are you going to do a video on oiling wood with linseed/flax?
When building guitars I handsand the neck to 600 then apply all the oil it wants to drink. Repeat after 3 days. After it's dry, use very small bit of talc (not cornstarch) on the neck whenever it is humid. This the absolute slickest finish I have found. The player's skin oils combine with the flax. You can do the same thing to a wood solidbody if the wood is pretty enough.
TIP: pour a little bit of thinner into your brush, and knock off drips before first dip. The brush will clean far more easily. Same/same with water and latex/acrylic coatings.
Thank you for this easy to understand video, sir.
Trend Stealth works great for me. Superb fit
Thanks for the great video, I can't believe I am taking advice from a Redwings fan, but I guess I will.
I use a 10 inch flooring finish applicator for furniture (the foam kind not lambskin) it is very quick and easy to leave straight even coats with it for any flat surface.
Thanks James, great sanding and sealing techniques. Stay safe, Fred..
Thanks for the detail & choices. I am not knowledgeable about finishes.
Slick as Snot, That's what I've been missing!
Brown paper bags from the grocery store - - - I remember those from many decades ago. They had multiple uses beyond the free grocery carrying container the stores used them for (Textbook covers, surface protection, juvenile art projects, costumes of all types, finishing paper for varnish, and much more.) I can even remember when shopping for weekly groceries for a family of six usually averaged to abooout $10 per bag. The good old days. Recently, the only time I have seen brown paper bags in a grocery store, they are packs of lunch bags (much smaller, with less surface roughness.) Some other types of stores still have them, or similar brown paper bags, but they are the exception and scarce. (Ace Hardware for example)
The modern blown plastic "t-shirt style" bags are useless unless you can find a place that takes them for recycling. (In my area, both Lowe's and Home Depot have bins for them.) They are also useful (if there are no holes in the bottom) for cat litter and dog droppings.
Yep. No brown paper bags anymore. But, I receive a lot of packages that are filled with crumpled brown paper as a packing material. I save the paper, spread it out flat on the bench, then fold it up to use later. It only takes a few seconds. I'm not sure where I read it, but I recall seeing that the silica in brown paper makes it around 1200 grit !!
One more EXTREMELY important use of the brown paper bag.....lining your cake pan in order to bake fruit cakes!!!!! Whose with me????
I remember my grandmother & mother saving all the butter wrappers during the year to line the cake tins and pudding bowls for the Christmas cooking - back when butter came in paper wrappers not foil or plastic tubs.
@@brucelee3388 You can still get butter sticks wrapped in paper. We get a box of four unsalted about every 2nd time we go to the grocery store. And it still comes from cows, unlike the tubs of margarine (or its original name tthat i remember, oleomargarine (or just oleo.)
Instead of using semi-gloss and satin finishes, just use hi-gloss and buff the final coat with 0000 steel wool. The flattening agents in the other finishes also muddy the grain patterns of that nice beautiful wood with the extra special grain patterns that you spent beaucoup bucks on. If you feel you must use the semi or satin, get yourself a small can of that for your final coat and use hi-gloss underneath it. The sheen will look the same, but you'll see and enjoy the wood a whole lot more.
I've used pumice and/or rottenstone (mixed with water to form a paste) to buff out the final coat of gloss. Worked well for me.
I’ve got a butcher block island with my kitchen sink! Ive been searching for advise from professionals on the best sealant. They all say food grade oil. But I won’t be prepping food on it. Then they say gloss but I hate, hate, hate the shine. LoL, it’s been over a year with no finish bc I’ve been conflicted about finishes. I really like the idea about starting with a gloss and finishing with an end coat of satin. So glad you commented.
Stumpy, I hope you read this.
I mixed a new can of mineral spirits with poly for a wipe on finish and it wouldn't dry properly even after a few days. Seems that some of the odorless mineral spirits now contain water. Even though it says on the can it can be used as a paint thinner it definitely didn't work with the poly. I had to strip it all off and start from scratch wasting all my time and effort.
Agreed. The problem is the formulation of the Odorless Mineral Spirits.
I like to wrap my brushes in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. This works well for rollers if you need to make a run to the hardware store or have lunch. (Sometimes works overnight)
Very informative and clear.
Eventhough it could give the wood an uneven finish thickness, what about spraying the PU ? Is it worth ?
When working with large panels of plywood (intended for kitchen cabinets), hand finishing would take a infinite amount of time.
Outstanding video. Very helpful.
I've never ventured into thinning finishes mainly because I had never been exposed to it. Now that I see the benefits I'll have to give it a try.
Something I've found that works VERY well for a smooth streak-free finish is those painting pads you get at home depot. They are rectangular, have a foam backing so they hold a lot of product, and many fine soft bristles so the urethane lays very flat. Take a bit of finesse but the results are fantastic
I agree. They allow you to get a REALLY nice consistent surface. I generally only use them for water base though, as it is easy to clean them with lots of water. But for a table top, they leave a GREAT surface. I have some great brushes that can give that finish, but, those brushes are expensive. Sure, spraying is the best, but when I don't want to get out a sprayer, and don't have a spray booth, then those pads are great.
are these like the ones that you use as an edger when you paint walls (or that is what they are sold for... I don't use them for that because they smear paint VERY smooth, as you mentioned)
@@MB-xw1tu yes I've seen them advertised for that purpose too
so glad you used a real brush not those darn foam things. i tried a foam brush once and it was impossible to lay the poly on evenly. i guess people just don't know how to clean a brush properly. a 1/4 cup of thinners at most is all you need for a perfectly clean brush that size. and really only takes a couple of minutes. i am still using the same high quality brush after over 20 years of use.
I always use the foam brushes and never have any issues with them. Of course I'm only an amatuer/beginner, but I've used both water and oil based polys and no one's ever said the finish was uneven. (and I do know how to clean a brush, I just prefer not to)
Another great video full of great tips. Thank you so much.
I'm loving these finish videos. I've been making custom knife sheaths for all my of my chef friends, and mineral oil just doesn't cut it for these. I never had the guts to try my own poly mixes until i find your channel. I tried mixing my own wipe-on poly after the last video, and the finish turned out great. I find it much easier to work with the thinned-out mixture. And, the paper bag trick worked like a charm. Thank you for the inspiration.
Great tips. One thing not mentioned is the primary reason/benefit of thinning i.e. the reduction or elimination of bubbles that form in unthinned poly.
Wiping method is especially useful on items with a lot of "joints" like chairs, things with spindles, shelving units, etc. Brushing and keeping a wet edge is tough when you have something like a chair with 10 back spindles. Bob Flexner also calls it a very foolproof method.
Hi! Thank you for very useful video and great tips - immediate subscription! I tried to do something similar, but something went a bit off, so I’m kindly asking you for an advice: I have a wooden IKEA table. Its top made of several wooden blocks, so it’s not a single sheet of wood. I dyed it using water-based dye, and covered it with the first coat of polyurethane lacquer. The thing is that after applying the first coat I can see that the surface gone patchy - some wooden blocks are glossy and smooth, and some - dull and a bit rough to the touch, where the wood absorbed the lacquer.
I was going to use fine sandpaper to even the surface after the first coat of lacquer. But now I’m a bit confused as I don’t know if I could damage the dye layer on the dull patches and expose the wood, as it is obviously very thin.
What would you suggest to do in this case? I was going to do at least three coats of lacquer with sanding in between.
So did you make a water based one yet? Can't seem to find it on your channel
Nice vid
1. I wipe on my first finish with a 50/50 mix
2. I wipe on my second finish with a 75/25 mix after a very lite sand
3. I wipe my third finish with 100% poly after a very lite sand
4. I brush on my 4th, 5th, and 6th finished (Based on application)
Slick as snot (on a glass door knob) Haven't heard that one in a while!
If I'm applying this to my floors the 50 50 mix could I use a roller or sponge mop and get away with it? 😅
don't know if I missed it or so, but the wipe on has some other advantages, for all kinds of finishes. first, it can penetrate deeper. it also follows the wood structure better and doesn't "pool up" in little dents and divets. this can be a benefit if you have some mix of sanded and structured wood surface. similar for surfaces with very varying grain structure where one soaks up about everything, its easier to work with using thinned out. you can experiment and also brush on thinned and wipe off etc.
I’m trying to paint my electric guitar, and many recommend a poly finish. What do you think about this?
Love your videos. I bought a used kitchen table with an old dilapidated finish. I applied EZ Strip paint & varnish stripper, scraped it all off, cleaned with TSP and water then after drying went at it with an orbital sander then hand sanded to a 180 finish. Vacuumed and tack clothed very smooth and clean. Don't know the species of the wood veneer. Applied 3 coats of Varathane oil based Classic penetrating wood stain, (Ebony). It barely took any more stain on the 3rd pass. Once dry it looked and felt fabulous. Wish I could have left it like that. I then brushed on Varathane oil based Professional Premium Clear Finish 1200 Matte also in 3 coats. Firstly, nowhere on the can does it say polyurethane or urethane. Can you tell me what this top coat is? More importantly, with each successive coat the finish got worse. I doubled the time between coats. They say 3-4 hours and I went 8 or more. I had to sand as it appears there are hundreds if not thousands of little buggers less than 1mm but so noticeable to both the eye and feel. My garage is as clean as I can get it and I do not blow the dust off but vacuum instead followed by tack cloth. I this the 3rd coat with mineral spirits and the 3rd coat is worst of all. What have I done wrong. BTW, I did not shake the can, only stirred and the final coat I used a separate clean container so I could add some mineral spirits. 4:1 top coat to thinner. At this point I want to throw out 20 hours of work. Please help.
Nice to have a brush box to susupend brush in solvent and brush spinner for oil base clean up.
Thank you so much for your very informative video. Do you have any tips on how I could recover polyurethane that has become thick in the can? I paid a lot of money for the 5 gallon ‘Fast Dry - Heavy Traffic’ polyurethane last year and only used about half a gallon. I just opened the can today and noticed a very thick coat at the top of the can and when I took off the coat, the poly underneath was very thick. What can I do to make it light again so I could use it on my bedroom floor? I went to the store earlier today and saw the 2.5 gallon are selling for almost $150🤦🏻. I still have over 4.5 gallons left in that can. What do I do? I will appreciate any advice that I can get. Thanks
What do I do,
Thank you for this! Wish I saw this video a few weeks ago. You're awesome!
As a painter for over 40 years. When you remove the brush from the shuck..spend a minute to pluck any new bristles, so they won't come off on your project or in the can
Thanks James.
Forgot to mention you will need EXCELLENT lighting to be able to see any runs. Without good lighting they are practically invisible.
Thank you for informative video. I looked on line for toxicity of Poly before and I didn't remember any permanent damage from Poly. So your video concerned me a bit and so I did another search and the two websites said that Poly is relatively safe. The amount of VOCs released during a typical application is too low to produce harmful effects. You would need concentrated long term exposure to get permanent health damage. This does not occur even during industrial applications. You can get lung irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, asthmatic attacks but these are temporary. I do believe that a respirator is necessary to avoid these symptoms, but I don't think you lose brain cells from Poly. Brain cell losses could be from something else. ;)
I love idea of the sports bottle and someone suggested priming your brush with the solvent that is consistent with the product your applying. I almost never use poly straight out of the can. Add just a little solvent helps it to lay down nice. It’s typically not enough to add much more than an extra coat but it will probably keep you from having to sand between coats. Never go cheap on brushes. It’s just not worth the savings. Besides a good quality brush will last for years. Keep it clean, really clean.
Wipe on oil poly is my favorite finish (aside from shellac on small projects) and my process is nearly identical to yours.
Never could get a good finish with brush on! I'll have to keep trying.
Minwax has a "Wipe-on Poly" they sell. I'm definitely going to try your thinning method with some regular poly because I think it would be more cost effective. But I really like that wipe-on that Minwax makes, and if I hit it with this car paint finish sander I got afterwards it becomes so so smooth. Anyways, great video as always. Thanks a lot for all the info, have a good day!
Excellent tips, James! Thanks! 😃
What about starting with wipe on poly and finishing it with the brush?
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
5:20 I'm looking forward to use a water-based varnish (namely Saman's). After sanding and before applying the varnish, should I clean the wood with Mineral Spirits, or just water?
Another great video...... I use 4 ought steel wool between layers.....
Great video refresher, thank you. However, you mentioned this was great for indoor (agreed) and some outdoor projects. I am currently making some small Cedar wooden signs for the outside. Will this be a good application for that project? Thank you
did you ever wind up making a video about water based poly? I can't find it on your channel