How would you guys fix this issue?

[Sean Walker]

I have a TV stand that I built out of curly cherry and finished with Arm-r-seal. Well I guess i never noticed it until here recently, but the top is really streaky. I see white lines in the top that i'm guessing are caused from something I did wrong when i applied the finish. The piece is several months old and I have applied polish to it during regular dusting. How would you guys fix this issue? I have been told that the streaking has been there since it was built but I guess i just never noticed it. I'm guessing some sanding will be involved since polishing it with Feed-n-wax didn't fix it so it appears to not be the last coat that caused it. I have been thinking about taking 800-1200 grit paper with some soapy water to see if I can get it out and then apply some more wax on top of it but i've never done this before.

So, how would you guys fix this? This piece is built out of cherry, and being several months old has already darkened so I don't want to sand too much.

Thanks!

[John TenEyck]

Are you sure the white streaks aren't the wax? I would remove the wax first and then look at it again. You'll need to do that anyway if more needs to be done. Don't sand it, at least not at first. Just take mineral spirits or Naptha to remove the wax. Use a paper towel soaked in one of them. Go over the piece at least twice, and then do it one more time changing the paper towel with each wipe. Now let it dry and look at it. Still got white streaks? If not, it was the wax. If so, then I would gently sand the surface with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper, clean off well, and then apply another coat of Arm-R-Seal as uniformly as possible using a paper towel. The sanding is to prep the surface, not to try and remove the streaks. One coat should do it; if not apply one more. If that doesn't fix it, something's really wrong.

John

[Sean Walker]

John,

Thanks for the reply. I am really positive it's not the wax. I will give the cleaning and sanding another go.

Thanks

[Howard Acheson]

Did you use a gloss or non-gloss finish? How did you apply the Arm R Seal? Brush or wipe-on? Can you better describe the streaks. Are they sort of white, cloudy areas

[Sean Walker]

I used Satin and applied it with a cotton rag. They are sort of white and cloudy, yeah.

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> I used Satin and applied it with a cotton rag. They are sort of white and cloudy, yeah.

The "white and cloudy" is the standard issue when the flatters in the finish are not thoroughly stirred into suspension. Wiping the finish will exacerbate the problem as the flatters stay in your wiping rag and are deposited willy nilly onto the surface you are wiping.

The solution is to buy a new can of finish and thoroughly stir it this time. One new coat properly applied will fix the problem.

Proper stirring is to stir 100 strokes in one direction and then 100 strokes in the other keeping your stirrer in contact with the bottom of the can. Re-stir every 10-15 minutes during application. Initially scuff sand the current surface with 400 grit paper being sure to allow the existing finsh to fully dry/cure.

Finally, the wax and polish you have applied to the surface is going to interfere with and new coat. A new finish will not properly adhere to the contaminated surface. Your best bet is to first wipe all surfaces using mineral spirits and lots of paper towels. Wet the the towels and make only one wipe and then change faces on your wiper (only one wipe per face or you will just be smearing the contaminates around). Go through the wiping process twice.

[Sean Walker]

Thanks Howard!