Hi folks,
I'm in the process of applying finish to a reclaimed Douglas fir dining table. It's an heirloom piece I'm building for my wife/family. The surface is very irregular & uneven, having lots of nail holes, splits, powder-post beetle tunnels, etc. My plan was to first apply several coats of Waterlox original sealer (already underway) and end with a couple coats or so of Waterlox satin.
Why apply satin finish rather than rubbing the original sealer - which is semi-gloss - down to satin? My thinking was that rubbing might result in shiny spots where the wood imperfections prevent the steel wool, sandpaper, or medium of choice from making contact with the finish during rubbing (e.g. inside a beetle tunnel). Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
After researching a bit, however, it looks like satin Waterlox can be kind of hit or miss - even the Waterlox website says it can sometimes appear streaky on large surfaces like floors, tables, etc. Does anyone have a foolproof method for applying it so it looks nice? If I just wipe it on in thin coats that are tipped-off along the grain, should I be OK? I don't mind taking my time - I'm not in this for the money.
Thanks for the help!
Steve