donald girod wrote:
Waterborne poly seems to have some advantages which are not generally
mentioned. In fact, I think it is sort of strange stuff. I don't
particularly care for its water resistance or polishability, but what I
have been doing is to put three coats or so on natural wood, sanding
between coats, and then top it off with one or two coats of oilbase poly
. This gives me something I can rub out, and has extra water resistance
and better luster, and I like the results.

The waterbase stuff dries fast, sands easily, and it doesn't seem to
make any difference if you even wipe off sanding dust, though I usually
do. It seems to redissolve particles of the sanded film. Since I am
not worried about using it for a finish coat, even the occasional sag
doesn't matter, it just sands away cleanly. AND, I have discovered that
it will dissolve (actually sort of wash away if you rub a bit) yellow
glue that didn't quite get sanded off. The solvents in waterbase must
be fierce. They eat away at plastic wood, for instance, and this must
also explain the yellow glue feature.

I think that this material is a truly lazy-friendly product. Have
others noticed these things? It could be brand-specific, I have really
only used Parks "Pro Finisher".
G'day Donald,
I have noticed that the water based poly does remove PVA and tend to
soften plastic putty. Perhaps they all have a similar solvent thus
allowing a re-activation of the former.
I have just finished sanding and polishing the Jarrah floors in the
lounge, dining room and kitchen. I used a 2 part water based poly and
having used Oil base poly on other projects I'd have to reckon a bloke
would be mad to use oil based. Although the "Hydrathane" was almost
twice the price of standard poly, the 2 hour drying time between coats,
ease of clean-up, lack of smell all make it a winner in my book.
I have used the same stuff many years ago on another floor and used left
overs on furniture. It does a great job and the gloss is controlled by
the number of coats.
Just my 2 bob's worth.
regards
John