SWMBO has spoken ...I need HELP!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Though my new shop isn't finished yet, SWMBO has spoken.

Our 2 oldest granddaughters graduate from High School early in June. We have family members from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Wyoming to celebrate their graduations. My wife insists the only thing she wants done before they get here is she wants the oak sideboard/base cabinet finished.

Here's the finishing question. I built this thing a year ago and I put one coat of 50% Fast Drying Clear Satin Poly and 50% mineral spirits on it. I was finishing it on my carport and it got too cold for anykind of finish to dry correctly....then I started my new shop......'nuff said....Basically I created my own wipe-on poly. It went on easy and it dried fairly fast. Question, what do I do now to allow me to add more coats of the same. Do I just wipe it down with mineral spirits and then continue more coats? Do I lightly sand it and then wipe it down with mineral spirits and continue?

[Carl Eyman]

I think some sanding is in order. If there is any chance any oil or wax has gotten on it a wipe down of mineral spirits may be in order, then a 229 grit sanding. MHO.

[Jim Becker]

You MUST sand poly between coats if it's been curing for more than a couple hours...which yours obviously has! The reason is that poly hates to stick to a lot of things...including itself. Lightly sanding gives you some "tooth" so the next layer will stick. (This is a "feature" of polyurethane and doesn't apply to the other two types of oil-based varnish, although most folks lightly sand there, too)