Watch this before using polyurethane wood finish!

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★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★

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[StumpyNubs]

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*Check out this playlist of our other finishing videos:*

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★

★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★

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[bertsrake]

Prime your brush with mineral spirits (or water for water based) and shake it out before that first dip into the poly. It will clean up easier and last much longer. Love the sports bottle trick.

[patrickpittman]

I'm going to put my 2 cents worth in here and a lot of you will probably not agree with me but please hear me out before pooh-poohing my statements. I've been finishing bare wood for more than 40 years - cabinets, furniture, floors, and a lot of custom high-dollar rifle, shotgun, and pistol stocks. The one thing I know to be true when staining and varnishing wood is the more you sand the more grain you will see, Now, let me clarify this statement - I start with 150 grit paper then move to 220 grit - just as most people do. But if you really want to have eye-popping grain and super smooth finishes then you need to take it further. After the 220 grit I move to 320, 400, then 600 grit. I always do the 220, 320, 400, and 600 grits by hand - NEVER with a machine. Waste of time? Not hardly, I've tested this process and there is definitely a huge difference in grain appearance and the smoothness of the final finish. It's the proverbial "night-and-day" type of thing. Once of my most cherished pieces is a dining room table made of birch and stained a dark ebony to get a Japanese "black lacquer" appearance. This table has such a deep and lustrous appearance that you'd think I spent days and days rubbing and polishing it. Actually, after sanding to 600 grit and staining, I put 3 coats of Minwax Gloss Polyurethane - sanding with 600 grit after the first coat then using 0000 steel wool after the second coat. The results were outstanding. Super high gloss but you can still see the wonderful grain showing though. So take it from me - sand, sand, sand if you want a truly unique finish.

[upsidedown]

I'm a paid professional. I've made hundreds of pieces of furniture. I pay to live by doing it. And it's amazing how much I still have to learn. Thank you for being such an amazing place to learn from. One day I'd love to be your "competition" here on the tube. But that is out of admiration.

[roberthall]

My late father in his day use to hand paint coaches and when I started to make wooden signs, he showed me how to polyurethane them. I used to get a mirror finished with about 8 coats, the first coat was thinned, the rest not. I used to to go across, diagonal and finally with the grain wiping my brush of with every wipe. Perfect.

[loki]

I bought the Trend mask on you recommendation after one of your other videos. I've used many masks over the years and the Trend is the best thing since sliced bread !.
A tip I got from one of my co workers a few years back in relation to the final coat of varnish. It works best when you are working on a flat surface, ie. you have a door on trestles or a bench. As your varnish is getting tacky, spray a fine mist using a trigger spray bottle, from above of whatever the recommended thinner medium for your product is. It doesn't take much, but it evens out the surface of the coating. I tried it on my new oak panel doors and they looked like they had been factory pre finished. Try it on some off cuts, it will cost nothing but a spray bottle and varnish.
Keep those videos coming.

[ballyantonia]

Terrific presenter .
Clear, articulate.
Knowledgeable .

[martinoamello]

I used to spray in an industrial setting shooting oil based paint all day. My favorite mask was the blue Belcamp masks from NAPA automotive supply stores.. I don't know if they're still available, but they were less expensive than 3M, had a MUCH better fit and seal. Now I have a 3M just because I don't need it nearly as often.
If you're spraying a lot, and by a lot I mean upwards of 50 or so gallons a week you should get a fresh air supply system that covers your entire body because you will absorb the solvents into your skin and will probably eventually wake up completely numb from your knees and elbows down to fingers and toes like I did.. I wear a mask no matter what I spray, no matter how much time I might be exposed. I had to learn the hard way when companies didn't care and neither did OSHA ..

[elkman]

Good work bud, absolutely love your insights. Very helpful for people who are past the beginning stages but have no real clue what we are doing. Cheers mate!

[brianbarker]

I always thin my 1st coat 50/50 to seal. If wanting to end up with a semi-gloss or satinfinish I layer my 1st coats with high gloss and top coat with the semi-gloss or satin. I believe this won't obscure the wood grain as mush if you just coated with semi-gloss or satin.

[robw]

Never heard the "brown paper bag" trick before. Good tip. I'll try that on my next varnish finish.

[blsinsc]

"slick as snot"! Now THERE's an expression I haven't heard in a LONG time! We used to say "slicker than snot on a doorknob"! Always enjoy your videos and appreciate how you keep the information simple and EXPLAINED without any silliness or need to entertain like a lot of guys!

[bryancassidy]

Just bought a used dining set I am refinishing and am a little overwhelmed by the information out there. I love your channel. Very easy to follow and informative. Thank you.

[mountainlightwoodcraft]

Not trying to sound like a fan boy here, but I really love your content and presentation. Been following for years and it still keeps me interested and informed every time.

[jaayjones]

No matter what I say it's going to come out wrong probably. As much as these videos are helpful to a lot of people I miss when things were being built. I learned tricks from build videos that the builder didn't mention and might not have been aware that it wasn't something that a lot of woodworkers knew. I bought your plans for the clamp rack but never used it after seeing the last rack you made. I've copied that rack and like it so much more than anything that anybody has made. Thank you for all the videos and links to products.

[OldinMariner]

Great video as always. I would like to add a suggestion, if you are going to use satin or simi gloss varnish you should use it only on the last one or two layers. By using gloss to build up layers you will get a deep rich look to the work and not a dull muddy look.

[adamulias]

The Stumpster dropping QUALITY KNOWLEDGE for us all to soak up, like the wood does with that thinned out Poly. 😀👍

[robotstonka]

To slow down drying time in summer, we often add a small amount of "Penetrol". That also helps make brush marks completely disappear.
Also... instead of using wet cloths (water or alcohol) on wood to wipe any dust off before painting, we are using "tack cloths".
🤘😎 I love this channel!!!

[tomalealso]

I spent a lot of years painting professionally I don't think there is many products that I have not used. I appreciate the information you bring to the table. All of it is good solid information. I don't recall you taking about making adjustments to your polyurethane to deal with changes in humidity or heat. you can not always paint in perfect weather so you need to make adjustments to deal with the weather changes. I almost never use polyurethane straight out of the can. I typically thin it a little bit just to get it to level out on the surface a little better, it slows the drying little bit and allows me to dry brush it for a more consistent finish. This will help to keep from scrubbing the finish, better to thin it a bit to get a better finish, I have often started by applying the first coat thin, (wipe on) that way the product sinks deeper into the surface. I think that if you have the time, wipe on is going to give you a better overall finish, yes its a lot more coats but well worth the effort.

[mwaynem]

I found another use for polyurethane and that is over flat latex paint. I made some cabinets for my and because I use working on vehicles as well as woodworking I wanted a cleanable surface. I tried satin polyurethane instead of satin latex paint. I've never liked semi gloss or satin latex paint for durability. It never seems to really dry and it stays somewhat soft. So I shot my finished cabinets with polyurethane. Its been a few years now and finish is holding up well. I can get oil a grease on it and it wipes right off.