How long between coats of Arm-R-Seal?

[Dan Forman]

How long should I wait between coats? My shop is in the basement, about 65*. Is there a window of time between coats in which you don't have to sand before recoating, or should you always do so? Thanks

Dan

[Joe Unni]

Dan,

My shop is typically around the same temp. I use Arm-R-Seal oil/poly all the time and wait about 6 hours and then apply another coat. I can usually get 2 coats a day. It seems to work fine for me. I sand dry with 600 between coats and can build (wiped on) up quite a finish in not a ton of time. For me, sanding lightly just helps to smooth things out and level the finish. I don't even wipe with a tack cloth in between. Shhh ;) ! I just wipe with my bare hand. I've even been complimented by other woodworkers on my finish. It's all about surface prep!!

Good luck,
-joe

[Dan Forman]

Thanks Joe.

Dan

[Lee DeRaud]

Depends on your climate, too: here in SoCal, 3-4 hours is usually enough between coats.

[Steve Schoene]

General Finishes recommends sanding between coats with 320 or 400 grit sand paper. Seal a cell is a wiping varnish, and varnish generally depends on mechanical adhesion, and the manufacturer doesn't suggest that his product is an exception.

The company also recommends 6-8 hours between coats in "good conditions" and 24 hours if not so good. The web site doesn't specify what good conditions are, but I have seen manufacturers specify their drying times with reference to temps between 68° and 77°, making me suspect they have a temp higher than 65° in mind. They usually have 50% relative humidity in mind. To be safe I would plan on 8-10 hours since you are almost certainly colder than the manufactures reference.

Probably better than using the clock would be checking to see how well the surface sands. If the paper clogs almost immediately it is too soon.