On 26 Oct 2004 15:26:56 GMT, Gary Fritz wrote:

Gary Fritz wrote:
No matter what the 'purists' say . . . I like water-based poly
for finishing a 'working' surface, like your kitchen table. It's
both hard and relatively impervious to liquids & damage.

Hm. Does it harden as it cures? I just looked at the table and I can
fairly easily scratch/dent the finish with a fingernail. That would
NEVER stand up to my kids.

it takes a while.

there are two things going on. first, the water used as a carrier has
to evaporate. that takes anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or so.
at that point it's dry to the touch, can be sanded and recoated and
the new layer will bond chemically. second, there is a cure process
where the polyurethane/acrylic does it's crosslinking bit and releases
it's primary solvent, usually one of the slower alcohols. this takes a
few days, during which it becomes harder and more chemically inert.
once this is complete new layers no longer bond chemically, and
witness lines and delamination start to become problems.






I just put the 3 coats on yesterday, so maybe it just needs more time.

Gotta say though, the surface is nice and satiny. Just a few dust pips
here and there. Not sure why it would be necessary to use the uber-
fine sandpapers unless you wanted a glassy finish.

Gary