HELP with Polyurethane

[philcav7]

I have run into some problems while finishing my floors and I am calling upon some others to bail me out.

I sanded and stained 400 sq feet of heart pine flooring and am applying oil based poly. The Varathane OMU semi-gloss for floors is absolute garbage. Imagine trying to top coat with a product that has the consistency of honey. It is supposed to be self leveling, but it does not. My temps and humidity have been ideal...cool and cloudy with average humidity. The poly has tons of lap marks and brush marks from the application. I tried several different brushes and lambswool pads and had the same results. Like most VOC 350 products, they offer no thinning instructions and the can says 'do not thin'. From my understanding, this has more to do with EPA regulations than product compatibility, but I am not a chemist and don't want to experiment with my floors.

I have two coats on most of the floor and need a total of 4 coats. I have sanded the surface pretty smooth and cannot feel the ridges where the brush/lap marks are; however, they can still be seen slightly. My question is pretty simple...

If I coat over these marks, will they become 'trapped' under the surface or will additional coats help remedy the situation? I am switching to another product to finish the job, Fabulon. It is also an OMU but is not VOC 350 and is said to flow nicely and can easily be applied with a roller. I am hoping that the additional coats will not be affected by the prior flaws.

Any advice and comments would be great.

[Claw Hama]

You need to find a rep from the company (track them down) and have them sort it out. I'm sure they won't like getting a bad rap on the forum.

[philcav7]

You need to find a rep from the company (track them down) and have them sort it out. I'm sure they won't like getting a bad rap on the forum.

They are owned by Rustolem. I have spoken with their tech support line a few times and didn't really help. The one time, I was told that if I coated over it within 8 hours of the prior coat the two layers would blend together and smooth out. She said that I only needed to sand with 220 grit prior to the last coat.

I haven't gotten any help from them. This company has different directions on the can, website, and brochure for the same product. The tech support line seemed unaware of this. The can says wait a minimun of 12 hours, sand then recoat. The tech support said to recoat after 6-8 hours and to not sand. The website say wait 4-6 hours between coats.

At any rate, I have talked to a floor finishing pro and he has seen similar results from the Varathane.

[123]

Sounds like possible problems with the coating, I agree track down the manufacturer.

[philcav7]

I confirmed that it was there product that was creating the quality issues.
I spoke with the customer service department and they offered me a full refund for both cans of polyurethane. I coated the floor with another brand of finish and it turned out great.