Question about Minwax Wipe On Poly

[Den Rose]

Hi,

I am trying Minwax Wipe On Poly on a sample of my redwood paneling. The directions say to put a liberal amount on with a cloth then rub it into the wood. Let dry 2-3 hours. From this description, I rubbed it in completely, then stopped. I plan to let dry for 2-3 before putting another coat on. I didn't leave any real film of the product like I would with Arm-R-Seal. Is this the way to do it or should I be doing something else? Thanks.

[Bennett Ostroff]

There isn't really any advantage to "rubbing it into" the wood. Just brush or wipe it on and it will penetrate on its own, especially since the wipe-on version is thinned considerably. I think their 2-3 hour recoat time is usually way too short. I would give it 6-12 hours depending on conditions. You'll need many many coats to build up any kind of real film, especially with redwood. The regular Minwax polyurethane (non-wipe-on) is 2-3x the solids as the wipe-on formula and will build a film much faster.