Yet one more Waterlox conundrum

[Joe McMahon]

I have built six keepsake boxes for Christmas presents. Each is from a different wood, QSWO, Curly hard maple, cherry, mahogany, walnut and purpleheart. The boxes came from Woodsmith and are 12" X 6" with a lid that has a floating veneered panel. The lid edges are tapered to the edges from the flat veneered panel.

For the first time I tried Waterlox. I used the original formula and , like the can said, I applied it with a bristle brush. I bought a new 2", quality bristle brush for the project When brushing, I was careful to just wet the surface, not applying too much finish..

After three coats, applied a day apart, what I ended up with were lid edges that are shiny (I presume from finish accumulation) and other parts that are not shinny. The veneered panels are shinny as well. I rubbed out the finish between coat 2 & 3 with very fine abrasive pad. All surfaces feel "bumpy" despite the fact they were sanded to 220 and were very smooth before the finish.

Here I sit, 48 hours from having to give one of the presents to it's recipient and I am not very satisfied. I called Waterlox, but the guy who handles technical support won't be in till later. He is supposed to call me back.


Would applying another coat with a cloth help? If so how do you rub on a coat of Waterlox? Cotton T shirt? Light coat?

How do I even out the shine?

How do I get a smooth surface?

[Prashun Patel]

What I would do is sand down the box with 320 or 400 or even 220 grit until you're pleased with the feel.
Then get a can of spray lacquer from the BigBox store (I prefer Deft, but can deal with Minwax). It's the quickest way to a respectable finish on a smaller object. It will dry in minutes, and can be ready to gift by tomorrow.

If you want to meet your deadline, I would not mess with Waterlox at this point. Besides, it will stink for a while after application even if it looks perfect.

[Scott Holmes]

Spray lacquer may blister the Waterlox as it has not had time to cure. A satin or gloss water-borne acrylic will be less aggressive and not damage the Waterlox.

[Ken Krawford]

Joe, I feel your pain. I'm in the process of finishing 2 tables with Orig. Waterlox. This is the first project I've used it on in almost 20 yrs. I've got the same issues as you. I've read all their literature and followed everything to the letter. I put my 5th coat on today (not counting the coat I rubbed on) and it will take at least 1 more coat and maybe 2. It also seems the surface is full of nibs (dust??) and I'm not sure how I will get rid of them. I tried 4/0 steel wool and 400 grit paper between coats and tacked with mineral spirits but I'm still a long way from being happy with the finish. They claim the sheen will decrease in 6 months but I'm not sure I want to wait.

[Joe McMahon]

The technician from Waterlox called me back. He said that the "nibs" that I feel and the shiny spots indicate that the finish has not absorbed all of the way into the wood. He suggested 2 or 3 more coats should fix the problem.

Had I known of these issues, I would have not used this product. It may end up as a good finish, but the journey is just too long and too uncertain.

[John TenEyck]

FWIW, Arm-R-Seal was just chosen best overall wiping and brushing varnish in the current issue of FWW. I've never had the issues with it you and others talk about so frequently here when using Waterlox. You might consider giving it a try in the future.

John

[Frank Ranalli]

Joe, If I read your 2 posts closely, I think there is another problem that hasn't been mentioned....so hear me out :)

You said that you started with very smooth wood that was sanded with 220. You now have a bumpy surface so something caused the bumpy surface. You applied 2 coats of Waterlox with a brush.....did you notice if the coats were level and they penetrated the wood? I am assuming they were okay before "rubbing out with a very fine sanding pad" between coats 2 and 3. You say you ended up with edges that were shiny and surfaces that were not shiny....were they dull? You also had nibs and bumps which the tech at Waterlox said was a result of the finish not being absorbed by the wood.

Here is what I think might have happened. The fact that the edges on your project were shiny might mean that they were "dry" since edges usually have less finish then the surface for reasons we will not go into now. You said that the surface was not shiny.....was it dull....if it was then the finish was not dry enough for you to sand. You sand you sanded between coats 2 and 3 after waiting a day.....was the finish really dry enough to sand without adversely affecting it? I think what you are saw as a cloudy finish and bumps go hand in hand. Also, I highly doubt that the Waterlox did not penetrate the wood after 3 coats with a brush....unless the wood was contaminated prior to applying the Waterlox.

So my recommendation would be to sand all of your pieces with either 320 or 400 grit until you get a very smooth finish....your goal is to get down to at least the 2nd coat without breaking thru the 1st. Then reapply a 2nd and 3rd coat but waiting between coats until it is thoroughly dried.....it really should not look dull. As John said, Arm-R-Seal is a excellent product.....I am not sure if it is compatible with the Waterlox.....you need to check on that.

I hope things work out for you.....later