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Stoutman Stoutman is offline
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Default Should I use mineral spirits after sanding between polyurethane coats

The first application of polyurethane finally dried on my red oak
baseboard. I sanded the baseboard and used a tacky cloth to remove the
dust. Should I wipe down the baseboard with a rag dipped in mineral
spirits before I apply the next coat of polyurethane?


No. Poly uses a mechanical bond between coats, you want as little as
possible between coats so as to get the best bond. Just make sure you
get the dust off, that's all.


Once cured there is nothing wrong with wiping down with mineral spirits. I
have done this with as little as 8 hours curing time.


And I hope by "finally dried" you mean "I waited as long as the can
said to wait". If you don't recoat in the time specified, you need to
wait at least a week or two (to fully cure) and sand before recoating.


B.S. You can sand after 24hrs. I usually use 320 grit wet/dry paper and
lightly sand.


If you recoat in the time specified, you only need a light sanding (to
remove raised grain and such) as the poly hasn't fully cured so it
will bond with the next layer whether you sand or not.


So are you saying that you can only sand during the time specified on can (3
hrs usually) and after one week? This makes no sense.