If you are putting enough finish on so that it dribbles into the holes, you
are putting it on too thickly. Thin coats better than thick.
DAVe
"Swingman" wrote in message
...

"Ken McIsaac" wrote in message...
I am in the process of finishing a drawer that will get a water-based
polyurethane finish. It needs two holes drilled in the face for the
handle.

Would you recommend drilling before applying the poly or after? If I
drill before, I can see the poly dripping into the hole and needing to
be drilled or scraped out, which will probably mar the finish around
the hole.

If I drill after, then I am drilling through a thin film of plastic on
top of the drawer face, which I can imagine might crack or spider-web
or something.

Which is the least error-prone way to do this?

It is generally an accepted practice to mount all your hardware before
beginning your finishing process - hinges, knobs, etc., then remove the
hardware, apply your finish, and remount the hardware as the final step.


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Last update: 2/20/07