Epoxy and Waterlox

[James Jayko]

I forgot one piece of a project, and have already put one coat of Waterlox on it. I’m planning to use epoxy to glue on the corbels; can I epoxy over one coat of Waterlox, or do I need to sand it back?

[Michael Burnside]

Waterlox is a drying oil and with just one coat it is "probably" ok (if allowed to dry), but personally I'd scuff it lightly with hand sanding beforehand.

Edit: this post probably should be moved to Project Finishing

[Philip Glover]

I would scuff sand and then clean the sanded area with acetone.
Cleaning with acetone is normal before using epoxy when working with teak.

Regards,

Phil

[Stan Calow]

Waterlox is a varnish, made with oil, but still a film finish

[Jim Becker]

Yup...Waterlox is an oil based finish but it's not an "oil" finish. As Stan says, it's a varnish, albeit one that tends to penetrate a bit because it's thin in consistency. No issue with epoxy but I'll recommend a little scuffing to insure better adhesion of the resin.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'd sand it back myself.
Epoxy can have some pretty strong solvents (MEK, MIBK) that can do a number on any finish they are applied to. There's a real good chance of it (the epoxy) causing the Waterlox to wrinkle.

[Prashun Patel]

I'll throw this out: Are you sure you want to glue on your corbels? Like I've always screwed them in and capped.

[James Jayko]

Pretty sure I know the answer to this, but Titebond would be even more so "sand it back to raw wood," right?

[Jim Becker]

Pretty sure I know the answer to this, but Titebond would be even more so "sand it back to raw wood," right?
Yes, PVA glue needs bare wood to be effective and strongest.