Minwax Poly's / Sheens

[Rick Herrick]

I have used the spray poly from Minwax, a lot.  I use clear satin sheen and its always worked out pretty good other than the floating smell in my garage.  On my latest project I wanted to try the wipe-on version.  Happy so far with the dresser and the drawer boxes.  Now doing the Peruvian walnut top.  I have 4 coats of wipe on done now and it looks fine but just doesn't have the same luster I would like.  This dresser is for my daughter.  I have heard that you can so any number of coats, mixing sheens and the last one applied is what it looks like.  Is that correct?  I am thinking about trying one coat of semi-gloss and if it looks good, leave it.  If not, put another coat of clear satin on.

Also, I need this top to be durable.  I am planning 5 coats.  If I went nuts and did 10, will that help or am I wasting time past a certain number of coats?

 

[Packard]

Minwax oil based poly is underrated.  It applies nicely and cures hard.  But the "full cure" takes 200 hours (about 7 days).  But a year later it will be significantly harder.

I use a modified approach to applying Minwax.  I brush on a fairly heavy coat and then using a foam brush I lightly wipe away allowing only the weight of the brush on the surface.  I have a piece of paper towel handy and I squeeze dry the brush several times. 

The 100% eliminates runs.  I builds surface finish faster than wipe on, so that 2 coats equals about 4 coats of wipe on. 

I cannot tell it (visually) from a sprayed lacquer finish. 

The interior stuff dries harder than the exterior.  The exterior has to remain flexible for more seasonal movement so they make it a bit softer.

It is not favored for commercial work because it dries slowly.  They like the UV stuff that dries in minutes when exposed to UV lights. 

Note:  UV finishes are not UV resistant, they are UV cured.  A huge difference that the manufacturers hope is misunderstood.

 

[ultane]

Minwax oil based poly is underrated.  It applies nicely and cures hard.  But the "full cure" takes 200 hours (about 7 days).  But a year later it will be significantly harder.

I use a modified approach to applying Minwax.  I brush on a fairly heavy coat and then using a foam brush I lightly wipe away allowing only the weight of the brush on the surface.  I have a piece of paper towel handy and I squeeze dry the brush several times. 

The 100% eliminates runs.  I builds surface finish faster than wipe on, so that 2 coats equals about 4 coats of wipe on. 

I cannot tell it (visually) from a sprayed lacquer finish. 

The interior stuff dries harder than the exterior.  The exterior has to remain flexible for more seasonal movement so they make it a bit softer.

It is not favored for commercial work because it dries slowly.  They like the UV stuff that dries in minutes when exposed to UV lights. 

Note:  UV finishes are not UV resistant, they are UV cured.  A huge difference that the manufacturers hope is misunderstood.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Packard]

I would note that the apparent sheen is lower when applied this way.  It resembles wipe on more than brush on.  Pretty foolproof though.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I have used the spray poly from Minwax, a lot.  I use clear satin sheen and its always worked out pretty good other than the floating smell in my garage.  On my latest project I wanted to try the wipe-on version.  Happy so far with the dresser and the drawer boxes.  Now doing the Peruvian walnut top.  I have 4 coats of wipe on done now and it looks fine but just doesn't have the same luster I would like.  This dresser is for my daughter.  I have heard that you can so any number of coats, mixing sheens and the last one applied is what it looks like.  Is that correct?  I am thinking about trying one coat of semi-gloss and if it looks good, leave it.  If not, put another coat of clear satin on.

Also, I need this top to be durable.  I am planning 5 coats.  If I went nuts and did 10, will that help or am I wasting time past a certain number of coats?

Rick - I mostly spray on waterborne lacquer now but use to use Minwax poly a lot. I would buy the non-wipe on and dilute it with naphtha 50:50. I takes many coats to build but goes on quick and dries quick which eliminates dust mites and the such. I had also read and practiced applying only enough satin to get the look and then adding clear coats for added protection (this is true for spray finishing too). 

 

[Rick Herrick]

Rick - I mostly spray on waterborne lacquer now but use to use Minwax poly a lot. I would buy the non-wipe on and dilute it with naphtha 50:50. I takes many coats to build but goes on quick and dries quick which eliminates dust mites and the such. I had also read and practiced applying only enough satin to get the look and then adding clear coats for added protection (this is true for spray finishing too).

Thanks Mike, I have seen videos where folks make their own wipe-on, as you suggested.  I may look at that down the road.  You mentioned a few coats of satin and then finishing with clear coats.  What do you mean about 'clear coats'?  Is that the gloss or semi-gloss, or something else altogether ?

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Rick - I mostly spray on waterborne lacquer now but use to use Minwax poly a lot. I would buy the non-wipe on and dilute it with naphtha 50:50. I takes many coats to build but goes on quick and dries quick which eliminates dust mites and the such. I had also read and practiced applying only enough satin to get the look and then adding clear coats for added protection (this is true for spray finishing too).

Thanks Mike, I have seen videos where folks make their own wipe-on, as you suggested.  I may look at that down the road.  You mentioned a few coats of satin and then finishing with clear coats.  What do you mean about 'clear coats'?  Is that the gloss or semi-gloss, or something else altogether ?

Sorry - gloss.

 

[Packard]

Close to 20 years ago, when the Starbucks decor included natural Baltic birch table tops with a routed edge and no edgebanding, the factory finish was quickly failing at the local store.

They knew I made cabinets and asked if I could refinish the table tops.  The finish had gotten so soft that you could gouge large swaths of it with your thumbnail. 

I did three tops to a batch because they could not afford to give up more at a time.  I sanded down to bare wood and applied four coats of Minwax oil based poly (gloss).  I allowed one week cure before I delivered each batch.

Starbucks remodels on a 10 year cycle.  So about 9 years after I refinished these table tops, they were being retired.  At that time they looked nearly as good as the day I delivered them.

So there are certainly finishes that can stand up to commercial use, but if you ask me to recommend one that I know will do the job, then I recommend the Minwax.

 

[Birdhunter]

Not a professional but I do a lot of large furniture builds. After trying lots of finishes, I use MinWax WipeOn Poly most of the time. I mostly use the satin finish.

I bought a jar of Odies and plan to experiment with it. Probably good stuff but I’m confident with the MinWax.

 

[Mortiser]

I too have used the Minwax Wipe-on Poly for years. I put down a minimum of two to three coats of gloss with a very light sanding with 220 or higher between coats. If I want a satin finish, only my last coat is satin. I find that multiple coats of satin tend to "dull" or "cloud" the appearance of the finish, while multiple coats of clear gloss and only the final coat of satin tends to give it a deeper appearance. Most of the furniture I build ends with a satin finish.
That's been my experience. Good luck with your project.

 

[Rick Herrick]

I too have used the Minwax Wipe-on Poly for years. I put down a minimum of two to three coats of gloss with a very light sanding with 220 or higher between coats. If I want a satin finish, only my last coat is satin. I find that multiple coats of satin tend to "dull" or "cloud" the appearance of the finish, while multiple coats of clear gloss and only the final coat of satin tends to give it a deeper appearance. Most of the furniture I build ends with a satin finish.
That's been my experience. Good luck with your project.

Hot diggity-dog.  That is exactly where I am right now.  I have 5 coats of satin and it looks great from most angles.  But when I get to one side I can see a lot of what looks like 'dryness' in the middle, or like [member=39410]Mortiser[/member] said, dull and cloudy.  So if I put on a coat or 2 of the gloss, that should maybe help out?  I wish I had taken a picture but I can do that tomorrow.

Thanks to you guys that confirm the MW wipe-on is still a good choice.

 

[tsmi243]

So if I put on a coat or 2 of the gloss, that should maybe help out? 

Adding new gloss over what you already have won't fix anything, if that's what you're asking.  You'll want to start from bare wood, and use gloss for all coats except the last one- so you'll end up with the thickness you want, but without too much clouding.

 

[Rick Herrick]

Adding new gloss over what you already have won't fix anything, if that's what you're asking.  You'll want to start from bare wood, and use gloss for all coats except the last one- so you'll end up with the thickness you want, but without too much clouding.

Thank you. I guess my happiness was short lived.  [big grin]

So I would have to pretty much sand through the satin I have and start over?  For sanding I did 120, 180 and 220.  Would I need to do all 3 grits again or would a good sanding with 220 get me what I need?

 

[Packard]

Or all gloss coats + rub with 0000 steel wool and wool oil.