Stupid Minwax Wipe On Poly.
Been like four days and still sticky in spots. Can I/should I:
heat the oven to about 150 F, turn it off, and put the drawer fronts in for a coupla hours?
- OR -
put them in the sun for a day?
- OR -
Throw the GD things in the wood stove, put on my cup and tell my wife I ain't finishing the MF cabinets?
I am NOT going to strip the s**te that is already on off.
Frustratedly,
D'ohBoy
Four DAYS???
I've used that stuff only three or four times, but whenever I've used it, it's dried - hard - in less than four *hours*.
Could be you got a bad can; could be you have a very old can; or it could be that you laid it on waaaaaay too heavy.
No. It needs air more than it needs heat.
Might work; for sure it won't hurt now.
Probably not your best option. Even with the cup.
Unfortunately, that probably *is* your best option. But I'd sure try a day or two in the sunshine before getting out the stripper.
And now you know why finishes should always be tested on scrap first. Somebody here said it best several years ago: "If you don't test on scrap, you're testing on your project." Too late to help with this one, I know, but remember for next time.
How did you apply the finish ?
Number of possibilities, one already mentioned. Too damn thick. Will cause a cured skin over now virtually incurable muck. Could also be that you didn't mix the oil and the solvent well enough when you shook the can.
Others include high humidity and low temperature, though you don't mention where the finishing was done. Basement could be the problem.
Bite the bullet and wet sand the crud off with mineral spirits as a lube and see if your new surface hardens. If you're guilty of any of the obvious, you might be able to use the same can. If it's an old can with solvent evaporated and oil/resin thick, pitch it and start fresh.
If removing the "crud" is the objective, I'd recommend scraping instead of sanding. If there's no scraper available, the iron from a plane will do. Don't gouge at the ends of the scraper (use some care). A scraper will remove a LOT more stuff, quicker, than sanding. Then finish the job by wiping with a rag and suitable solvent.
Jim Stuyck
Thin coat, applied by wiping on a thin layer, in basement, dehumidifiers making it bone dry down there.
D'ohBoy
I second that!
Scrapers are by far, THE BEST way to remove major finish defects. They leave a flat surface, vs. a rounded bump, don't gum up or pill, are extremely cheap, and super fast.
Time spent learning to properly use scrapers will pay large dividends over and over.
Finish is thin in can, lays on nice. Gonna lay them outside for a while.
Let ya know what happens.
D'ohBoy
Hey you... I've been re finishing my cabinet doors too. I've been using the Minwax spray on fast cure poly. I found that it was taking more time to dry than it should have because of the humidity.
Not knowing where you live, I will share this with you. I live in Tennessee. Here we have quite a bit of humidity. Some days much worse than others.
I'm using a satin finish. What I've been doing is spraying them, then setting them in the sun for about thirty minutes, this gets them started. I take them out of the sun when the coat goes clear.. Then stand them up to finish drying
The only time i have ever had anything happen like you're talking about is when I've not mixed the can (brush on) well enough or when the weather has been cool or really damp.
I say set them in the sun for an hour but watch them closely. The heat can make the stain seep out of the grain in the wood and creats a funny looking blotchy mess. It will make it blister too.
Best of luck, hope you let us know what you finally do to resolve the problem.
Kate
I'm a big chicken, I'd remove it with a scotch brite and lacquer thinner.
Kate
I second that!
Scrapers are by far, THE BEST way to remove major finish defects. They leave a flat surface, vs. a rounded bump, don't gum up or pill, are extremely cheap, and super fast.
Time spent learning to properly use scrapers will pay large dividends over and over.
I agree with scraping also. I've been using/trying to use scrapers for some time now but the sharpening and rehooking had me by the short hairs. The other day i saw this:
Scotch Brite's are still way better than most sandpaper. They're very useful for refinishing!
---------------------------------------------
**---------------------------------------------
Not to mention they get into corners and do shapes.
I worry about the words "coat" and "layer." Wonder if he might have flooded the piece early to get to a surface finish in one shot. That would be a mess. First coat should disappear, second nearly so unless you've got a burnished surface.
Nice Link Roy! I've tried scraping a little here and there and always messed things up. Soooo.. I'm a chicken.
Now I may actually give it another go and practise some.
Kate
A low bench or stool works great for scraper sharpening, since you can lean forwards and put your body weight over the file / burnisher.
Notice how Marc kept the same angle of attack when scraping the test piece? That'll give you a washboard surface. Skew the scraper, changing the angle 20 degrees or so left and right every couple of strokes.
For each coat, keep the surface just barely wet for five, maybe ten minutes, then wipe dry. Let dry. Lightly buff with gray Scotchbrite to denib, then tackcloth and repeat. Sure, the first and second coats won't look like much, but the third and fourth will look like Stradivarius himself varnished your cabinets.
Praise be to the power of moving air and sunshine!
The finish dried nicely in the sun. Thanks to all for their suggestions!
Now all I have to do is the nasty job of trimming out the cabinets (retrofit into a breakfast bar) where nothing is true nor flat.
D'ohBoy, who's hair doesn't need help falling out.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.