Minwax: fluke or just "lucky"

Sep 12, 2011 8 Replies

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MMark 14 years ago

Okay, I just got bit for the second time and I was wondering if this is a fluke or something that happens often enough that it should be planned for.

Twice I've bought Minwax Helmsman finish, gotten it home, applied it to a wood project only to discover the can was mislabeled. Specifically I bought satin and what was in the can was semi gloss or gloss.

It's a royal pain to correct. Seems to me that you pretty much have to sand back down to wood and start over with the staining.

Was I just unlucky to get mislabeled product from them twice (not sequentially)? Should I always do a couple of test runs on scrap wood and expect a couple return trips to the hardware store first?

Thanks Mark

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chaniarts 14 years ago

fine steel wool

what did minwax say when you called them using the 800 # on the can?

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MMark 14 years ago

Fine steel wool? Really? Does that just take off the finish without doing too much damage to the stain?

Would not have thought of that...

Just sent them a note on their website; haven't heard back yet.

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hrhofmann 14 years ago

Just give it a clear coat of whatever gloss /nongloss varnish youwant it to look like.

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cycjec 14 years ago

the test piece sounds like a good idea.

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Shaun Eli 14 years ago

If you put a couple of coats of satin over gloss, it'll look satiny.

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Baron 14 years ago

Sounds like the flatting agent settled out. It must be mixed in and that takes more effort than you might think. I find I must really dig down to lift the agent into the fluid before mixing.

Good Luck.

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gregz 14 years ago

My experience with polyurethane, mixing is very important. The top fluid is different from bottom fluid. The top may be slower drying producing gloss.

Greg

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MMark 14 years ago

Well now there's egg on my face (or maybe unmixed satin finish). After Greg and Baron's responses, I went down and gave the can one of those paint-store shakes and did a test patch. It came out as expected.

I didn't expect the satin finish to be that dependent on a thorough mixing beforehand.

Thanks for the insight.

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