I am finishing a bed white oak and having applied the milky white varnish (satin) I find the finsh not too good. Should I soak the wood with danish oil first as a sealer? (and can I use a water bases varnish after this) There seems to be uneven take-up of the water based varnish.
And Ideas for future projects - regards
You need more than one coat. Try three (at least), sanding with fine paper (220-320) between each.
No to the Danish oil.
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before applying wb topcoats, apply WB sanding sealer. do NOT " soak" the wood with danish oil first!!
dAVE
Read a book on finishing. I recommend the one by Flexner.
I use Minwax Stain-PreConditioner if I need to seal a piece before staining or finishing.
You did not state what grit of sandpaper was the last sanding before applying the water based poly. This can have a big difference.
Oak can be very porous and absorb the finish. If you did not seal first, you will get some grain raising from the water.
Water based poly dries to the touch quickly, but takes longer than oil based to really harden, perhaps a couple of days.
I apply a couple of coats, allowing to dry in between, and then let the piece harden for a couple of days before sanding and applying the final coat.
If you apply oil, e.g., danish oil, then the water based poly may not adhere. You can apply oil based varnish as a first coat/sealer. Allow this to dry and then water based on top. The Minwax Stain-PreConditioner is an oil based varnish, but very dilute with mostly solvent.
The milky colour is normal for water based. It should dry to be completely clear.
Dave Paine.
why on earth would you apply pre conditioner before using a water based topcoat???
water based finishes take longer than just a few days to harden completely. They actually take weeks to reach their full hardness. They feel dry to the touch in mere minutes, but their scratch resistance takes weeks to reach its max.
There is no need to wait "days" to apply the final coat. All coats can be applied the same day. Sanding between coats is RECOMMENDED for Enduro WB poly; a practice I adhere to with great results. I can sand within 40 minutes or less, between coats. The final rubout, if need should wait a day or more, depending on what process you are using. If rubbing out with synthetic steel wool, a day or two is sufficient. If going for a high gloss finish, using compounds, then it would better to wait more than a couple of days.
Dave
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