"Gary Fritz" wrote in message
...
Snip


I noticed the grain popped up after the first coat of poly. I assumed
that was because the water soaked into the wood. I sanded lightly with
220 grit and applied 2nd & 3rd coats.

Typically when using water based products on bare wood you should lightly
wet the wood surface, let thoroughly dry, lightly sand to get rid of the
fuzzy grain that popped up and then apply the water based product.

It looks pretty good now. Not as smooth as the old poly, but that
might have been because the old stuff has 20 years of wear. I think I
might sand it again and put a few more coats on -- any harm in that?

No harm.