Refinishing a Table

[deberly12]

So my wife was refinishing the top of our dining room table. Sanded it down the scale finishing with 220. Stained with Minwax. Once it dried she applied the first coat of Minwax Polyurethane. It has been 24 hours and it is still sticky. Not much ventilation because it was in the garage and i had to close the door overnight and this morning. And it is humid in PA but this seems like an excessive amount of time. What caused it and how do i fix it.

 

[rrich1]

Finishing and cure times are not universal. No ventilation, humidity, and other factors can draw out the cure time. Wait it out. It could be a few days. If you try and rush it you can screw it up.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Was the poly old or new?

 

[jakemac]

The thickness of the coat that was laid down could also be a factor.
Finishes hate humidity.

 

[deberly12]

It was may have been old. It and about 4 other almost full cans of stain and poly was left it the house from the people before us so at least 1.5 years....or more. There isn't a date on it that I can see and I am a cheap guy so I saw free wood finish.

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[deberly12]

Finishing and cure times are not universal. No ventilation, humidity, and other factors can draw out the cure time. Wait it out. It could be a few days. If you try and rush it you can screw it up.

So you think it may still dry?

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[rrich1]

So you think it may still dry?

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It could. Give it another day at least. Like someone else stated, how thick of a coat did you put on?

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[deberly12]

It was a very thin coat.

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[metal1313]

the extremely high humidity the last few days in pa/nj is the most likely reason it hasnt dried properly. humidity plays a huge factor.

 

[jakemac]

If it's been sitting for a while, did you stir the poly before using ?
The drying agent may have separated and needs to be remixed.

NEVER shake a can of polyurethane. Shaking will mix it, but it also introduces micro bubbles that can affect the finish. Always slowly stir the contents of the can in a way that doesn't aerate the polyurethane. If the can has been sitting for a long time, I'll use a paint stick or dowel. Otherwise, I just give the can a slow swirl for a minute before opening.

 

[jake00]

It's most likely the humidity, we've been having issues with floor finish drying lately. It could also be low voc (if the EPA mandates it there )

 

[jakemac]

Low VOC, that's another issue for finishes. 10yrs ago (I was in charge of a hardware store paint dept. at the time) the EPA cracked down on VOC content in paint and finishes. That was why all the brands started coming out with "New and Improved" products every 8mos as the regulations kept changing. Floor guys were PI**ED !

Overnight, all of the products they were using to give a great floor finish the first time were gone. All of a sudden they were getting spotty finishes and complaints about their work. Sometimes they would have to strip and redo 4 or 5 times to get an even finish. The new regs were costing them money and jobs. Some guys in my area just quit and closed their businesses.

The new drying agents used in paint and top coats just aren't as good or fast as the old stuff and the truth is, the new stuff isn't that much more environmentally friendly either. A worse product, for higher cost, and very little gain.

 

[GTO]

I think you answered your own question when you said it was humid.....

 

[deberly12]

Thank you all for the info. I checked it a few minutes ago and I could just notice that it was a little less sticky than before. Hopefully by tomorrow night it will be ready and maybe we can get all the coats on by Thanksgiving lol

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[dnschmidt]

One of the beauties of living in Phoenix where the humidity was 5% today. Down side is that it was also 114F but that helps the paint dry too.