Barn wood table new poly coat rained on

[Chalea]

I finished this barnwood table my husband made with an exterior water based polyurethane last year (5 coats). It overwinter with a tarp over it and came through pretty good- but I wanted to add a couple more coats of poly this spring. After my 2nd coat, it lightly drizzled a few minutes when I wasnt home and table wasnt covered.  It fried and I have white thin film in crevices of the grain. I cannot stand them because they are in the crevices. What should I do??

[RichardA]

Wire brush and reapply.

[drzaius]

1 minute ago, RichardA said:

Wire brush and reapply.

I agree. Use a brass wire brush that you can put in a drill, but go very gently. You just want to remove the offending layer, not burn through the patina on the wood. A steel wire brush may leave traces that will show up as rust stains latter.

[Chalea]

I will give it a try and let you know - thanks so much!

[Battle Ridge]

I typically use a Porter Cable Restorer with the stainless steel wire brush on most of my reclaimed wood.  It does a great job of preserving and enhancing the grain and other characteristics of the wood, while removing unwanted debris from hard-to-get-to spots.  The wide working surface limits any gouging or other markings that can develop with a narrower contact point and it performs quite well (I'm still on my original s/s wire wheel which is performing exceptionally good).  I typically hook the Restorer to the shop vac which provides great dust pick-up, though on the finished surface of the table the dust shouldn't be too bad.

The Restorer accepts a variety of attachments to adapt to the surface and task at hand.  I would recommend testing before using it to be sure it provides the finish you are seeking, either on the underside of the table if finished or on a similar piece of wood.  You should be able to find a few videos on YouTube of both the stainless steel and nylon abrasive wheels to find what might be best for your needs.