Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

[one more cast]

I have the same problem but I think its as neumanns says because I also have the same problem with oil based.

 

[Mark42]

Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

What do you think about these water based clear finishes? Like the one by MinWax. I have used it before on some kids toy box and play table. It is clear, and it does hold up ok, wood grain looks nice. But I'm not happy with the appearance because it does not apply nice, needs lots of sanding between coats to get rid of air bubbles and other artifacts and it takes many more coats to get the same buildup with just a few coats of polyurathane.<br /><br />I am thinking of using this on the maple knee wall tops in my basement project so drinks, plants, etc won't leave marks (you know people will use them as bar tops, etc).<br /><br />Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

 

[neumanns]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

Your brush may be the culprit or perhaps you are overworking it with the brush. I have not used the water based but that sounds like an application problem rather than product.

 

[chuckz]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

I've had great sucess with water based products. The trick is to apply a wood sealer between the stain and finishing coat. The finish ends up very smooth without any air bubbles. You need to use waterbased stain, sealer and polyurethane. If you use an oil based product under a water based finish, you need to wait weeks before applying the water based finish.

 

[Barlow]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

try stirring the finish instead of shaking it.. <br /><br />shaking the can might be the reason for the air bubbles.<br /><br />tack cloth the piece to remove foreign debrit.<br /><br />and check your brush's bristle type, cleanliness, and diameter..<br /><br />..some finishes like Poly have a lower surface tension and will settle and smooth out bristle lines while others hold 'streaks'..<br /><br />??? I'm not sure any of this will help you out Mark but, some things to think about the next time you crack the container lid. <br /><br />

 

[chuckz]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

Wood sealer! I've shaken the can of water based polyurethane, used el cheapo brushes and still came out with a perfect finish. I made oak light rails to mount on my factory finished cabinets. How good did they turn out? The cheif inspector, wife, liked them and how they matched the facory finished cabinets.<br /><br />I suspect the wood sealer keeps the water from being sucked into the wood and allows the finish to level before the water evaporates.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

Thanks everyone for the tips. It probably is my application. Will try some test pieces this weekend. Also that water based wood sealer sounds interesting. What brands has everyone been using?

 

[chuckz]

Re: Water base clear finish - what am I doing wrong?

I used Tripp which I purchased at Lowes.