No guarantees in life that I know of, Gary - sometimes we just have to take
chances. I THINK Varathane should bond well to scuffed-up Polycrylic, but
can't remember ever actually doing that.

Certainly, the less Polycrylic under the Varathane, the better, but what you
suggest sounds good. If I had it to do, I'd probably sand down the
Polycrylic until it's very thin, but not gone (I like the color of the first
coat of Polycrylic better than Varathane), then apply 2-3 coats of glossy
Varathane (sanding between coats, of course), followed by one coat of
semi-gloss (I think that's the surface you wanted). Generally, you want to
use gloss for all but the last coat because it's much clearer than
semi-gloss or flat, but it depends on whether you think of your table as
"fine furniture". The Varathane I use is for floors, specifically:
"Varathane Crystal Clear Waterborne Diamond Wood Finish", "Floors".

-Dave
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"Gary Fritz" wrote in message
...
"Dave Plumpe" wrote:
Minwax's Polycrylic is not polyurethane and is much softer than
traditional oil-based polyurethanes.

Gack. Great.

Flecto's water-based
Varathane is much harder than Polycrylic. I've used many gallons
of Polycrylic on cabinets because I like the way it applies and
settles, but I use Varathane on shelves for it's toughness.

They should be compatible. Sand the Polycrylic with 320 grit,
then apply a coat or two of Varathane.

Hmmm. OK. If I remember right it was a Varathane product that I used
on the table 20 years ago.

If sanding with 320 will ensure bonding to the polycrylic, then I think
I'll do that. Two coats (on top of 3 coats of the polycrylic?) will
be enough? Or should I sand down most of the polycrylic so the
varathane doesn't have a soft surface underneath it??

I definitely can't tolerate a soft finish from the polycrylic. This
table gets used 2-4 times every day and it needs to stand up to wear.

Thanks,
Gary