To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Polyurethane floor coating won't dry. WTF. Help?!

cash68

Keeper Of Rotor Hill
Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
979
Location
Milwaukee, WI
So I have a plywood floor. Threw two layers of stain on it. Then top coated with Minwax "Super fast drying" polyurethane. The first coat dried overnight. I threw a second coat on.. and the finish is still "gummy", 48 hours later. I turned the heat up to 80, but there hasn't really been a change. The really big problem is I can scrape it right off the floor, through the two layers easily. It says on the can to stain the wood, then apply the poly. Why is it not adhering, and why is it not curing?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

1967marti

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2011
Messages
151
Not all stains will work with every type of poly.
It sounds like there is a bad reaction between your stain and the poly coats...
Why didn't you just use the poly/stain pre-mix?
Anywho... As for the non-curing... a bad batch or old can of poly? ... bad ventilation will do that too. if the room is filled with fumes it wont dry. It needs to vent the solvent to dry...
 

slickgt1

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 11, 2010
Messages
1,674
Um ok, you are in some deep ****. I do a lot of poly on custom furniture jobs that I get. First off, let me say, minwax is ********. Almost anything else is better. I like Zar, but tough to get in the big buckets.

I have never done a floor with minwax, wait I never polyd a floor by myself at all, but used the floor minwax on custom french doors. What a damn nightmare. I wouldn't even try it, but this was for a customer who was set on this **** and actually provided it for me.

So same story as you. Stain, minwax by the way. First coat of poly, yea decent. Second coat, holy ****, my brush is having a tough time, almost like its pulling. Ok whatever, done. Come back next day to flip the doors, can't second coat looks dryish, feels gummy, so I'm like WTF. I put my palm on it and give it a slip, the finish comes up. NO EFFIN WAY.

Long story short, I blew a gasket. It sort of cured a week later. When I was installing the door, I nicked a section with a hammer when driving the hinge pins in. What I saw was beyond belief. The top cured, under it though, the poly was still gummy. Somewhere on the can or specs it said 30 days for a full cure. EFFFF that.

I came to the conclusion that the first coat did not fully cure, even though I was able to sand it. Second coat sealed the first, and now it can't fully cure. Bottom of second coat also got trapped as it cured from top down. I have a feeling this **** was designed for the big box shopper that would do one coat, maybe even the stain mix BS, and call it a day.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Garage-Tech

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
70
Location
Port St Lucie, Florida
I restore antiques and have a furniture shop so this is my area of expertise.

First- (Like the previouse guy) Minwax is awful, Their stains especially.
Second- Depending on weather conditions you might have needed more time for your first coat to dry.

This sounds like you over applied the finish personally...It will dry, but its going to take some time. Multiple thin coats are the key to a great wood finish.

Did you put a thick second coat on?
 

Garage-Tech

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
70
Location
Port St Lucie, Florida
ONE MORE THING...If you used minwax, or another oil based stain its always a good idea to wait a couple days for it to dry. That stuff always stays tacky and requires days to completely dry.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom