Last question about Waterlox Original Formula Sealer/Finish

[Justin Goeden]

You guys have been great about helping me through this cherry project I've been working on. Decided to do only WOF sealer/finish, no shellac or anything above or under this finish.

That being said I've got about 5 good wiping coats on it and we're finally building up some film. I know everyone has a different schedule they use and there are more than one way to skin a cat, but here's what I'm thinking for mine. First question though, when you wet sand this Waterlox, do you use just mineral spirits, or should I wet the paper with the waterlox, sand a small area and wipe excess away? How do you wet sand this product?

Secondly, here's what I'm thinking. (The wood was sanded to 320 before finishing was started).

Wet sand with 600.
Apply 3-4 more coats as needed of wiped Waterlox.
Wet sand with 1000.
Apply 1-2 more coats as needed after 1000.
Final buff out. (What do you guys use?) I've heard tons of stuff. Just newspaper and buff it? An actual buffing pad on a buffer??

Thanks!

Here's some pics just for fun. The right cabinet will have doors installed. The left one will have 5 panels vertically on top to make "lockers" for school age kids to hang coats/bookbags.
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[Bill McNiel]

Justin,
I am NOT one of SMC's finishing experts but I do use Waterlox a lot with very favorable results, so here is my 2 cents.

I have never wet sanded Waterlox nor seen the need to, maybe other more knowledgeable folks will chime in on this.
First 1 to 3 coats are applied semi heavy with a foam brush in order to build a base and get even penetration.
I always wait 24 hrs between coats.
After 1 to 3 wipe on coats I will level sand, by hand with a felt block and 400 grit, need to wait up to a week before leveling (getting a fine powder as opposed to balled up finish).
I then apply many, possibly way too many, wipe on/wipe off coats (blue shop towels using the kid at Denny's approach).
Let it cure for at least three weeks with plenty of oxygen being more important than temperature.
Finally, I use MicroMesh pads for the rubout. This product allows you to achieve any finish sheen within the range of the product. WOS will not support a true gloss but goes a long ways toward it.

Hope this helps. Remember each of us has an approach that works for us and very few are totally absurd. IMHO MicroMesh rubout is the easiest way to get the best results with this great product.

[Scott Holmes]

Wet sanding should be reserved for the final buff/rub out of the finish. It is not a good practice to wet sand between coats of finish; you will end up with white specs of the sanding slurry trapped in your finish.

Dry sanding between coats is the most effective and the most efficient process. I normally use 320 to sand between brushed coats of varnish. Dry sanding when using a wipe-on technique is probably best every 3 to 5 wipe-on coats. Otherwise you will most likely remove most of the finish you applied with one properly wiped-on coat...

The only time you would use the finish to sand or buff it in is when using an oil/varnish blend. aka Danish oil. (~ equal parts of varnish oil and mineral spirits.)

There is no "wipe-on wipe-off" technique for varnish; that is the technique used for oil/varnish blends, oil only or MS and wax finishes.

[Prashun Patel]

I don't find it necessary to wet sand it any more. It is more effort than it's worth. I would in fact just dry sand with 600 every couple coats and before the final 2 coats

[Bill Adamsen]

Waterlox is unique as a clear finish in that it doesn't require surface prep to create a mechanical bond, because it doesn't leverage mechanical bonding. Waterlox recommends against sanding between coats (p7/9). Or let me rephrase that ... they say "... If you do not sand, then the next coat will flow away from the sealed caps and do more to fill the valleys." Which is a paraphrase to mean it works faster with no sanding.

One thing I discovered is that the Waterlox Marine (indistinguishable from Waterlox Original) may be a (significantly) more cost effective solution depending on where you live (EPA/VOC).