Polyurethane on Jarrah

[ceilingsofperth]

Hi all, new here. I just came to ask some advice about the coffee table I built a few yrs ago that I am finally coating.

I decided to go with a Polyurethane as I like the look of it on Jarrah & it's generally hard wearing & I have small children.

I was going to use Estapol brand but ended up buying a tin of FeastWatson poly & as per directions I sealed the sanded table with FeastWatson's Proofseal 1st.

The directions for the poly state to rub it on with a lint free cloth but having some experience with paints & varnishes I knew it wouldn't be sufficient. I also knew that being a poly it should self level & not leave brush streaks if done with a soft, fine bristle brush. So I brushed it on carefully & it all went to plan.

As the table top has some shallow lettering etched into it I decided against sanding it back after each coat. I was & still am really happy with it but after the 2nd coat I started thinking about buffing it to get a nicer finish.

My question is, how many coats would it require before I can buff it & should I expect to see a film of Poly on the surface or will the Jarrah keep absorbing it?

I only applied 1 coat of sealer before the Poly which in hind sight may have been a shortfall. So far I've put 4 coats of Poly on it & the last coat was put on pretty thick.

I can upload pics of that helps.

[dales133]

Is it oil or waterbased poly?
Ive been using a fair bit of both on spotted gum and hardwood ply and found with the water based about 4 coats then a wet sand with 1200 then 2 more coats came up great.you could give it a rely light final wet sand after the final 2 coats if desired.
I sealed mine with a bondall sealer similar to what you used first.
Oil based would probably come up good using the same procedure.
Im by no means an expert but im happy with my results

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[ceilingsofperth]

Hi mate. It's oil based. It does look pretty good as is but I know if I buff it, it'll look a million bucks.

[ceilingsofperth]

From what I've read, buffing poly is very similar to buffing paint on your car. Apparently you use an automotive buffing compound & orbital buffer. I reckon I can get a mirror finish if I do this but I need to be sure that the poly is thick enough & dry enough 1st. I've only prepped & buffed metal objects which aren't porous so I'm not sure about timber & when is enough.

[ceilingsofperth]

20150728_215823.jpg

This is the 4th coat, still wet

[ceilingsofperth]

20150721_163811.jpg

This is dry after the 3rd coat.

[dales133]

It should work but youd want to make sure its realy well cured first.this weather will slow it down alot.
I recon id try wet sanding it back.
You could even go right down to 2000 .
Less risk of damage

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[Chesand]

You could polish it with our bosses U-Beaut EEE Ultrashine after letting it harden for a few days. It will take any dust nibs off and leave a smooth, less plasticy looking finish.

I have used it on a bookcase in this way with good results.

[ceilingsofperth]

Oh yeah. I'll look into that. Where do I get that & how much?

Buffing period should leave a smooth non plasticy shine. Buffing compounds in themselves are an abrasive & buffing kind of massages the coat you're polishing. Surface should be dust free to begin with if coated in a relatively dust free environment.

It's been sitting for about 9 days now & looks to be quite hard. Now I just need the right compound & time away from work to do it.

[ubeaut]

EEE-Ultra Shine

Swansdown Mop

[mike100jobstodo]

Three coats of Polyurethane finish should do before you sand it. Then after sanding it, put two more coats of Polyurethane in a dust free room. Make sure each coat is fully cured before putting a new coat on.