Made Finishing Mistake - Need Suggestions

[buddyrough]

I have a 30" by 60" cocktail table I just refinished. The wood is very hard and heavy and after sanding the top clean, it has the look of teak. So, I sanded to 180 - 220, added conditioner and stained it. Looked good. After the stain dried I added 2 coats of Briwax as suggested by Woodworkers Journal. It looked good initially but after using it a couple of days the wax finish has smeared spots and it looks very amateurish. I have to do something else. I can remove the wax with naptha but what would you suggest using instead of wax? I'd like to avoid oil base poly because I don't want yellowing or water spots. Ideas? Many thanks,

Rod B.

[big tim]

If it is teak, can't you just oil it. I've got a fair bit of teak on my boat.
Teak oil is all I use!

Tim

[Ed62]

I'm sure not much when it comes to finishing, but I have a question. It sounds like you have a reason not to use water based poly. Why? Just looking for info myself.

Ed

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Another vote for Teak Oil here.

[scmhogg]

Rod,

Do you have a picture of the table top. Teak is kind of unusual for an indoor table top. If it is, in fact teak, a wash with acetone or naptha, followed by a quick drying barrier coat, is usually recommended. I like using Super Blonde, de-waxed shellac, as a barrier coat as it will accept most finishes I use.

http://bottrell.ca/Docs/Guidelines%2...0Teak%20v2.pdf

Most oil finishes won't give you the protection you need for a cocktail table. Ed is right that water based poly adds little or no color.

Steve

[buddyrough]

Rod,

Do you have a picture of the table top. Teak is kind of unusual for an indoor table top. If it is, in fact teak, a wash with acetone or naptha, followed by a quick drying barrier coat, is usually recommended. I like using Super Blonde, de-waxed shellac, as a barrier coat as it will accept most finishes I use.

http://bottrell.ca/Docs/Guidelines%2...0Teak%20v2.pdf

Most oil finishes won't give you the protection you need for a cocktail table. Ed is right that water based poly adds little or no color.

Steve

The concern I have with water based poly is there is oil based conditioner and stain under it. I presumed it would not adhere. Am I wrong?

Rod

[LCHIEN]

Rod,

Do you have a picture of the table top. Teak is kind of unusual for an indoor table top. If it is, in fact teak, a wash with acetone or naptha, followed by a quick drying barrier coat, is usually recommended. I like using Super Blonde, de-waxed shellac, as a barrier coat as it will accept most finishes I use.

http://bottrell.ca/Docs/Guidelines%2...0Teak%20v2.pdf

Most oil finishes won't give you the protection you need for a cocktail table. Ed is right that water based poly adds little or no color.

Steve

I have a three rooms of all teak or teak veneer furniture. Dining room, living room and study. All indoors too.
Scandanavian/danish contemporary furniture makers like to use Teak.
I use teak oil.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

The concern I have with water based poly is there is oil based conditioner and stain under it. I presumed it would not adhere. Am I wrong?

Rod

Good news. You are wrong. LOL!

You need to get the wax off prior to applying the poly. Naptha or MS will take it off.

[buddyrough]

OK, but...

Good news. You are wrong. LOL!

You need to get the wax off prior to applying the poly. Naptha or MS will take it off.

I know I need to take the wax off. But there will still be oil based stain and conditioner. CAN I PUT WATER BASED POLY OVER THEM?

Thanks again, Rod

[movnup]

There's a product that I use on my boat teak every year that strips it down to bare wood called Teak-A. It's a two part system as follows: 1) you wet the wood down w/ water 2) spray on "part a" and let is sit for a few minutes 3) lightly brush it w/ a nylon brush 4) apply "part b" and then rinse it off w/ water and let dry.

This was recomended to my by a guy who does high end yacht maintenance and I swear by it. Super simple, works great, and the only finish is teak oil that you hand wipe on. Two coats lasts half a year in salt water so the finish is pretty tough and looks great. You can find it at West Marine on the web or any higher end boat dealer.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I know I need to take the wax off. But there will still be oil based stain and conditioner. CAN I PUT WATER BASED POLY OVER THEM?

Thanks again, Rod

Correct. Make sure they are dry. There is no problem with water based poly over oil based finish. In fact the opposite, water based finish over water based stain, can be the real problem since the finish becomes a solvent for the stain.

[scmhogg]

Rod,

I got this from the MinWax site.

Minwax® Polycrylic® Protective Finish

A crystal clear, ultra fast-drying protective topcoat for use over bare wood, oil- and water-based stains, paint and wallpaper. It has very little odor, is non-flammable, cleans up easily with soap and water and can be recoated in only 2 hours.

Steve

[buddyrough]

I'll Try It

Jeff, Hogg and others,

Thanks for your replies and ideas. I will clean the wax off and give the water based poly a try.

Rod