Denis(Denny) Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I'm building a live edge maple coffee table (for indoor use). I'm not staining it, just keeping it natural. I decided to finish it with Helmsman Spar Urethane but with everything I've read it may not have been the best product to use. I'm at 5 coats and noticed that the in-between sanding with 220 grit is creating some tacky white looking areas that are not going away with the follow-on application. Should I scrap the spar finish and strip it back down to the wood and use another product or should I simply sand more aggressively a layer or 2 down and continue with the spar product? D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I have no clue, just noticed you are new. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 How long are you waiting before sanding? How old is the finish? Typically, between coats, I block sand with 400 just to knock off the nibs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Spar varnish is a softer finish. It's meant to hold up outdoors under weather and abuse to protect the boat. Inside it can get almost sticky/gummy. If you really want a long term finish on your table I would scrape it off. Depending on your skills and equipment there are many tabletop finishes that will work better. I use a pre catalyzed waterbourne . There are post cat finishes you mix right before spraying , conversion varnishes, epoxy and even regular varnish that will work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I haven't a clue on this one ...Steve's advice comes from 136 years of experience!.....Welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis(Denny) Posted July 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 How long are you waiting before sanding? How old is the finish? Typically, between coats, I block sand with 400 just to knock off the nibs. I typically wait 24 hrs...and sand using 220 grit. I started the first coat about a week and a half ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis(Denny) Posted July 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Spar varnish is a softer finish. It's meant to hold up outdoors under weather and abuse to protect the boat. Inside it can get almost sticky/gummy. If you really want a long term finish on your table I would scrape it off. Depending on your skills and equipment there are many tabletop finishes that will work better. I use a pre catalyzed waterbourne . There are post cat finishes you mix right before spraying , conversion varnishes, epoxy and even regular varnish that will work just fine. I'm a beginner. I want something simple yet durable. We will be eating/drinking at this table when guests are over so there is bound to be spill, etc. on the table despite asking people to use coasters. Can you recommend a product for the finish, something? Has anybody heard of Livos Natural Finishes? How do I strip down the current spar urethane without damaging the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Cabinet scraper? Paint stripper will work but it stinks and is messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Steve could he use some sort of solvent like Kutzit and then sand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Sanding the finish off probably won't work well because the finish is still so gummy. You will just clog up the paper and drive yourself crazy. Stripper will work and probably work well since the finish is not fully cured. Whether or not you want to deal with the mess and fumes is up to you. General rule of thumb is to buy the heaviest can of stripper they sell (so if there are 5 brands each the same size, buy the heavy one) and leave it on much longer than the directions indicate. Basically it is ready when you can get most of the finish off with some gentle scraping. After stripping and scraping, follow the instructions of the can for cleaning (I think you want to clean with mineral spirits and the perhaps water), let dry, and resand. You will probably want a barrier coat of dewaxed shellac (sold as Zinsser seal coat) because any stripper residue will keep your poly from sticking and drive you even further bananas . Shellac will stick to most anything. So give it a coat or two of the shellac, very lightly sand with a high grit (like 400) then go to a wipe-on poly like General Finishes Arm R Seal or Minwax Wipe On. They are basically fool proof and work well. I see a lot of people using spar varnish for indoor projects. Not sure if the experts at the box stores recommend it or if the logic is "if it is good outdoors it must be great indoors" but it seems spar varnish is commonly misunderstood. It does not protect against water damage any better than standard polyurethane of a similar quality. Spar varnish has more oil in it, so it stays flexible to deal with seasonal wood movement (which is a huge problem outdoors) and good ones have UV inhibitors to help deal with sun light (but the stuff sold at box stores generally does not have enough UV protection to make a difference). Standard poly is flexible enough for indoor use and is a harder, more durable finish than spar for indoor use. Plus, like you have experienced, spar takes forever to dry and in the meantime has crappy rubbing properties (i.e. difficult to sand out and polish). Don't get me wrong, I am sure some people have used it successfully, but a standard wipe on poly is exponentially eaiser to use and, if built up, more durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis(Denny) Posted July 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you all for your help. I've decided to strip off the urethane. I'll be using a product called Heirloom Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover from Recochem. Once I've removed everything and lightly sanded the surface, I will either use Poly or another product I came across called Livos, which is a natural hard oil which was highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 i would soften it up with mineral spirits/thinner and then scrape it with this i just built a maple vanity and first put on shellac. softened it with alcohol and scraped it. just curious why the haze didn't clear. i used epifanes varnish on my frame and spar varnish on the shelves over top of dye and had no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 i would soften it up with mineral spirits/thinner and then scrape it with this i just built a maple vanity and first put on shellac. softened it with alcohol and scraped it. just curious why the haze didn't clear. i used epifanes varnish on my frame and spar varnish on the shelves over top of dye and had no problems. cured varnish will not soften much (if at all) from exposure to mineral spirits. It does not dissolve its own solvent like cured shellac does. I think his varnish is only partially cured, but there is still a chance the mineral spirits won't do anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis(Denny) Posted July 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 So I stripped my slab down to the wood this morning. Pretty simple process. I took me a couple hours. Used the Heirloom gel-like product. It took me 3 passes of pouring the gel on the slab, spreading it around with a cheap brush and waiting 20 min before scraping the crap off with a 5" plastic putty knife. I took the remainder off by using a med coarse steel wool. I finished off the process by lightly sanding my slab with a 320 grit sand paper. See before and after. I now need to decide what product to use to finish it but I'm pretty much decided on the Livos product. Thanks to everyone for the comments. I'll post pictures once the table is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Looks good, before you put the hardwax oil on I would consider cleaning it with mineral spirits or acetone. something that will help remove any residue from the stripper. Most strippers contain wax to keep them from evaporating (some might even have silicone) and either one will keep your oil finish from penetrating evenly. I have not used the hardwax oils but have heard good things. the reality is most film finishes get damaged eventually. you might as well own up to that and use something that is easy to repair. I am considering a hardwax oil for some floors I am installing.... nice slab by the way. Hope your insurance covers hernia surgery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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