Now that all 13 of our interior doors have a protective finish on them I thought I would share a few tips of the things I learned during my journey toward completing this part of our home build. Some of these things are actually listed on the can instructions, but I believe they need more emphasis, and my other tips, well….
1) While applying polyurethane, NEVER take a break to pet the cat no matter how affectionate they appear to be. This is just a ploy by your cat to permanently attach some of their DNA to your project, because no matter how careful you are, cat hair will soon be landing on any wet surfaces like metal shards to a magnet.
2) ALWAYS mix the product before you start applying it. I KNOW they mention this on the can but for some reason I thought a brand new can would not need to be mixed and I have one door in our house with a glossy finish on one side while the rest are all satin finish. Eventually this glossy door is going to drive me nuts and I’ll end up refinishing it but for now we need to keep pushing forward…
3) If 2-3 coats are recommended go for 3 coats. You won’t be disappointed. I also have one door that mistakenly ended up with 4 coats of poly, and it looks amazing! If I only had more time…
4) ALWAYS protect your hands and your lungs. Even if you just need to sand down one little spot, put those gloves and mask back on! All it takes is a few minutes of inhaling dust and you’re more susceptible to colds & allergies. I also made the mistake of not always wearing gloves when applying the poly or cleaning my brush and now I’m having to nurse a rash on my right hand. Just take the time and protect yourself from these chemicals!
5) Fast Drying Polyurethane is not! The can says “allow 4-6 hours drying time between coats…” but even with a dehumidifier running, I would need to wait at least 24 hours before sanding down the first coat. I don’t know if this is because I live in Seattle or if this is just the nature of the beast. If the poly appears gummy when you sand it, walk away and check back in 6 more hours. You’ll just make a bigger mess of things if the poly isn’t completely dry.
6) Spend the money, buy a good quality brush and then take care of it. I suspend my brush in mineral spirits after each coat of poly by hanging the brush from the hole at the end of the handle. The used poly floats down to the bottom of the container overnight. Then, all I need to do is wipe the excess mineral spirits off with a Shop Towel and I’m ready for the next coat. Works like a charm!
7) Resist the temptation of applying a more than a SUPER THIN coat of polyurethane. I know that for some of you out there, this is probably a no-brain-er. But for me, a thicker coat seemed to look so luxurious and glossy, until it started to puddle and/or drip. Plus a thicker, drippy coat means more scrapping and sanding in between coats, aka more work. I finally figured out at door #8 or #9 that the beauty of this product comes out in multiple coats and not thick coats. Again, this is one of those things that you can read on the instructions on the back of the can but I still had that Ah HA moment one evening when I realized “Oh… You meant THAT thin of a coat”…
So now that I have all of this experience, I look at some of the first doors I finished and see spots I want to sand down and apply one more perfect, thin coat. But this will need to wait until someday, down the road, when I don’t have full page of To Do’s that all need to be completed within the next 30 days.
