Well, I did it! I applied too much Verathane on my second coat on a refinished fir floor. After 24 hours, it still hadn’t dried and I realized that it would take forever and so I took several rags and I ragged off all the excess. After examining the floor, I determined that the Verathane had penetrated the wood fibre in many areas where the grain was softest as it showed up darker. On closer inspection, the darker patches appeared slightly swollen as if I had spilled liquid on it and it had absorbed it. Since then I have been running fans and a heater on it to see if it will eventually cure and the excess will evaporate. The surface is dry to the touch but I suspect that the absorbed Verathane is still is stasis.
The questions I have for those in the know:
Am I on the right track with this? If so, how long should I wait until I try to apply the second coat again (this time with a brush and not so thick)
Replies
You should wait at least a few days if not a week before you do anything else to the floor. This is the safest route and in all likelihood will produce the best results.
After waiting the required time you will first need to sand the floor again before you apply and second coat. You should also vacuum between each coat and tack rag too. Usually a 120 or 150 screen will do the trick. If you apply a third coat a sanding with a 150 or 180 screen will work as well.
You always want to put the thinnest coat down as possible for a second and third applications without leaving any "dry" spots. If you are can see the finish moving around under the applicator then it's still to thick.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks Joe,
This reply confirms what I suspected. I have some work I can do in the meantime so no big panic; however, I do have another question.
What is a tack cloth? It was mentioned on the can of Verathane and I have no idea what it is.
Shake,Basically it's a sticky cloth used to "tack" over the work piece or project area to be finished. You can buy them in little bags or make them yourself. Buying them is just so much easier though.They pickup any remaining dust or small particles that vacuuming may have missed or left behind.
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Thanks, I see about getting or making some.
Tack cloth is sticky cloth that is used to wipe over a surface and pick up the dust and small particles. Most paint stores sell it, or you can make your own with a small amount of varnish on a cloth and allowed to dry a bit until it is tacky. Woody
I still have the rags I used to soak up the excess Verathane - could I use these?
Tack rags are typically made from something lint free like cheesecloth, and shellac has the right degree of tackiness without leaving a residue... probably not your old rags on both counts. They're so cheap you're probably better off just buying a couple. Make sure they are marked silicone free or safe for use with all finishes.PaulB
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Right, Thanks.
I've always used a clean paint rag dampened with turpentine. Not paint thinner--it evaporates too fast--real turpentine.
Works fine; costs almost nothing.
OTOH, I'm having a fair amount of trouble imagining how you managed to put so much Varathane on that floor. Did you pour it out of the can onto the floor, then try to spread it with the applicator pad?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
No, interestingly enough, I bought and used what the guy at the paint counter at Home Depot suggested. It was like a broom head with a kind of sheepskin type of pad that attached to a regular broom handle. The instructions on the plastic bag it came in told me to soak in mineral spirits before using. I used paint thinner. I guess that the pad was too absorptive and it just laid down too much or I didn't run it out enough before refilling. That and the fact that it was now thinned with paint thinner, probably made for the perfect storm. It also left a lot of lint and debris behind.
Serves me right for trying to do it the fast (easy?) way instead of the tried and true. The first coat I applied with a regular bristle brush and it was hard and long but produced a pretty nice result.
Lesson learned I guess.
Those applicator pads work great with the water based finishes like Bona's Mega. No bubbles and even really thick coats dry eventually. I guess the solvent based Varethane is a bit more finicky.
There are two grades of those applicator pads; the real ones are made of lambswool and cost a good bit. They work beautifully, but you can't shove 'em around like you're playing shuffleboard, LOL. A patient, steady hand is required.
The cheap version is made of polyester pile and does exactly what the OP complained of. Yuk.
It is worth paying the extra for the lambswool pads; it is furthermore worth taking the time to clean the pad carefully afterwards!
Second subject: I have been using Varathane's 'Diamond Coat' professional finish (black can) for 15 years; never ever had a problem with it. Goes on thick and flows to a perfect, even, mirror-smooth finish. Dries to a hard, scuff resistant surface in 24-30 hours in cool weather; sooner in warm, dry conditions.
The one and only time I tried their water-based product--guaranteed to dry in 3 hours so you can do two coats the same day--I thought I was gonna have to shoot myself. Craap took three days to dry enough so I could touch it at all, but it remained tacky and showed sneaker marks even after all that time. It did not develop anything near the surface hardness of the oil-based product even after two weeks, so I had to abandon the job for a month, then come back and machine-sand with 80 grit, then do 3 coats with Diamond Coat.
Never again.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Yeah, the water based Diamond Coat is trouble. It turns milky if the wood is too cold or has a bit of moisture in it.
Shakesplitter,I have used the "sheep on a stick" to put down many coats of poly and shellac. The trick is to thin the coats and to run the pad dry and go over the beginning of the run. Thin coats dry much quicker than thick coats. Faster and a better job than a brush.Wet the sheep and shake it out to start. Thin the first coat about 40%, next coats 25%. Store the sheep in thinner in a can filled almost full .KK
Thanks to all for your suggestions. They all make sense. I only wish I'd inquired prior to the incident.
How long did you wait between coats? And was the product possibly out of date?
I rfemember applying a second coat of stone sealer on a natural stone floor about a day too soon, had to go back with solvent soaked rages and scrape the gunk off the floor. Won't do that twice.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
just one more potential contributing factor??
did you get all the previous finish off / totally sanded to new wood?
Oh yeah, totally sanded down. I angle ground the whole floor to get the old finish off and then rented a big vibrating floor sander to get a nice even finish and get the angle grinder marks out.
I waited about 8 hours between the first and second coat and I don't think the 2nd coat product was out of date as I had just bought it the day before. The product I used for the first coat could have been out of date however as it was from an older can I had left over. It was quite thick and hard to apply, but it seemed to have cured right and it took the sanding I applied before applying the second coat.
Without seeing the can, I would suspect that 8 hours is too soon, and a thick consistency does noy sound good. The cans i have used usually say to apply the second coat without one hour or after 24 hrs. "Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I have no doubt that you paint as I do.. that's why I'm so much in love with shellac as a floor finish.
It's impossible to screw up the way I do it..
Flood it on and spread it out!. Comes out perfect.. plus it doesn't have that plastic look that Varathane does. It has a beautiful depth and finish used on the finest antique furniture. Plus it dries in 15 minutes so you can give the second coat almost as soon as you are done.. the third coat will take an hour to dry but 2 hours after you start the floor is done..