"TC" wrote in message
...
I have a coffee table I sanded to bare wood. I applied water-based poly
with a brush. I get these puddles or orange peel looking "things" (see
links. I figure it might be the brush so I switch to a foam brush -
same result (yes, I sanded first).

Curious though, the sides are nice and smooth as I expected.

I diluted the poly about 10%. Am I putting it on too thick? What's
happening? The wood was smooth before applying. The poly is new. How
can I salvage what I have done?


You don't have your wood sanded down smooth enough. The secret to any
finish - any finish, is in the preparation. I can see the grain in your
poly and that's not good. Sand your piece down until the ridges disappear.
Use the ridges as your guide coat, which is to say that you keep sanding
until you have no shiney spots left. The shiney spots will be your low
points and additional coats of poly will not adhere to them unless they get
scruffed. Take the piece down until it is all perfectly flat and perfectly
even in its lack of luster. Then, apply another coat of poly.

If you want to be extra safe, after you sand it down, apply a coat or two or
three of shellac and then apply your poly.

--

-Mike-