What is a water-white hard finish?

[Wade Lippman]

I just moved to a new town. A neighbor heard I was a woodworker and wants advice.

He has just installed a new maple railing and wants to keep it looking like it is unfinished. Naturally I would suggest water based poly, but he has actually tried it and found it scratched with his fingernail (perhaps 5 coats is excessive). I suppose I would try rattle can lacquer next, but that won't be practical for a railing with all the spindles.

Is there a water based poly significantly harder than Minwax? Is there a brushable water-white lacquer?

Please help; I need to make a good impression!

[John TenEyck]

Minwax WB is not very hard. There are significantly better products out there, including ones made by General Finishes and Target Coatings. They both make WB polys and acrylics with excellent properties. I buy GF products at my local Rockler. Target Coatings are available on-line.

John

[Wade Lippman]

Minwax WB is not very hard. There are significantly better products out there, including ones made by General Finishes and Target Coatings. They both make WB polys and acrylics with excellent properties. I buy GF products at my local Rockler. Target Coatings are available on-line.

John

Is this a good choice? Is it water-white like the minwax?
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/208...InformationTab

[John TenEyck]

Is this a good choice? Is it water-white like the minwax?
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/208...InformationTab

I have used gallons of GF's Hi Perf. Poly on cabinets and furniture projects, and like it a lot. Very water white, very good clarity, but don't use their sealer underneath because it has an amber tint. It has a very good UV stabilizer package so it won't yellow for many years. It is hard and durable and would probably work well for that application; use the catalyst if you want maximum hardness.

Your comment about the guy already trying the Minwax product - was it on a sample or did he actually put it on the railings already? If he put it on the railings, putting the GF product on top might not improve scratch resistance much. Hard on top of soft is not good. Ideally, the Minwax product should be stripped off so that the GF product has a good, hard base to bond to.

John

[Wade Lippman]

Thanks...
No, he just tested it on scraps.

[Phil Thien]

Do you know if he allowed enough time for his test finish to cure before testing it?

I feel the Varathane Diamond is pretty hard. Within 30 minutes of applying it, it powders (a white powder) when sanded, and doesn't clog the sandpaper. They provide some technical specifications at the end of this document:

http://www.rustoleumibg.com/images/t...lyurethane.pdf

Beyond that, I think some of the water-based wood floor finishes are very abrasion resistant.

[John TenEyck]

OK, good. Phil brings up a good point. Many products take several days to cure, some even weeks. As I said, Minwax is not very hard, but it does harden over a period of days. If your neighbor did a finger nail test in only a day or so, he might find a far better result after waiting a week. I know for sure that GF's Hi Perf. Poly is much harder after 3 or 4 days than 24 hours.

John

[Kevin Hartnett]

General Finishes' Enduro Var is extremely durable, very 'hard.' It does have a slight amber tint though, but only slight and I find it very pleasing. And, of course, if you want it to look 'unfinished' you should use a satin on the last coat. Use gloss for all the undercoats and satin on the last coat. Multiple coats of satin can look murky and cloudy.

Also, dry is not the same as cured. Full curing takes about a week for most water based Polys. Have your friend try the fingernail test again after the finish has cured for at least a week. The difference is very noticeable.

Kevin H.