Jolly Polly

Applying polyurethane seemed to take foooooooooorever. If I'm being reasonable, I have to admit this was probably because Tyler and I went on a two week vacation in the middle of the process. However, even without our reprieve from work, this step of the project would probably have eaten up a number of days in our schedule.

I should begin by saying this is NOT because polyurethane is difficult to apply. It's actually rather straightforward. To start, we bought Minwax Water-Based Polyurethane, which came in a cheerful blue can.

As with the stain, we applied the polyurethane with foam brushes. Someone recommended that we use a new brush with each coat of polyurethane, and I had read somewhere that you should mix the polyurethane thoroughly before each application. To this end, we also acquired a number of paint sticks and 3" foam brushes (large enough so that it wouldn't take forever to apply, but small enough to fit inside the can).

To apply the first coat, we lightly sanded the (top of the) stained surface. Water-based polyurethane "sticks" to the wood less easily than oil-based, making this a necessary step. After a light sanding, we used a damp cloth to remove any dust that had collected on the table's surface, and then went back over it again with a dry cloth to be extra-safe. Some bloggers recommend using a talc cloth, citing that it is especially effective at picking up little particles. I have yet to try.

Once the surface was poly-prepped, we opened our can of polyurethane and stirred it with one of our painting sticks. Then, we wet the brush, again, only going in about an inch, and wiped any excess off using the rim of the can. Overloading your brush here is BIG no-no. If you apply water-based polyurethane too thickly, it will leave you with a milky-white surface. Therefore, several thin layers of polyurethane is best.

I was super paranoid about turning the table white. Therefore, we made sure to apply the poly in a well-lit room, constantly checking from various angles to ensure there was no white film forming. Otherwise, our application was very similar to that of staining - brush on, spread out, check for bubbles or pools of liquid, continue spreading, check one more time, finally dip again, and repeat. Once the entire surface is covered, you need to let the polyurethane dry for at least two hours before reapplying.

Everything was going well for us until the fourth application to the top of our table. (We ended up going with six on the top and sides, and three on the bottom.) Then, my worst nightmare came true! WHITE!!!! One of the boards had a knot in it. After we'd applied stain, Tyler and I were really digging the way the knot stood out. It added a cool dimension to the tabletop's appearance. Unfortunately, the polyurethane and the knot did not mix well. To be honest, I'm not completely sure what happened, but somehow we messed up. Tyler and I had no idea what to do. I frantically searched the internet for help, but in the end, we went with our gut.

FYI: That is not our table! I just wanted to show you my cool power tool.

I ended up using my handy-dandy sanding tool to eliminate the poly over the knot. I don't actually know if I got rid of it all. I simply sanded until the surface felt differently than it had before - less smooth. Another sign that I had eliminated the poly was that specks of unstained wood began to show through. This is important. I didn't want to completely eliminate the stained surface. I just wanted to make sure that I got to it. Once the dust was wiped away from sanding, I reapplied stain to the area to ensure that I still had the dark finish that I wanted. Instead of letting the stain sit for 30 minutes, this time, I let it sit for 5. Then, I wiped it off, and let it dry overnight before applying my next coat of poly to the table top. Fortunately, it worked out for us. However, I can't make any guarantees for future projects. My fingers were crossed the entire time!

As I mentioned previously, we applied six coats of poly to the top and sides. Once this was done, we flipped the table over and did the underside. As with stain, be careful when applying any liquid to the base of your tabletop. You do not want seepage! If you aren't careful, the polyurethane will drip down the sides and collect on the underside of your underside (your top!) to form a rim around the edge of your tabletop. Thus, when applying poly here, it is never a bad idea to run you brush around the rim of (what will be the top) to ensure any poly that did collect spreads out before it dries.

Overall, I'm happy with our work. No drips on the tabletop, and no white film! When you see pictures of the finished product (Coming soon!), you might notice the poly added a slight sheen to the tabletop. We used poly with a "Clear Satin" finish, which creates this effect. If you desire a different look, poly comes in other finishes (matte, semi-gloss, gloss).

P.S. Of all of those paint sticks and foam brushes we bought, we ended up using only one each! Do yourself a favor and save the money. All you have to do is thoroughly rinse the brush when you're done with one coat, and it will be as good as new for a second two hours later. Also, it's okay to use the same paint stick over and over again to stir. When we weren't using ours, we rested it in a plastic dish. No big deal.