I have some unfinished furniture that I have sanded, primed, sanded, and put 3 coats of latex paint on. I want to apply polyurethane to protect it. For a dresser, for example, do I need to put the dresser on its side to do the other side (which would be up)? Basically, does the surface need to be horizontal or could I do the sides with the dresser standing up?
Originally posted 2010-06-11 13:49:39. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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#1 by miwls59 at June 13th, 2010
The biggest obstacle with polyurethane is “running”; which can be avoided by applying several thin coats while the furniture is upright (horizontal). If you place the furniture on its side, when you turn it again, you risk the polyurethane dripping and running.
#2 by DIY Doc at June 15th, 2010
Answer one offers a valid suggestion. The issue is in the consistency of the Poly, and your method of application. Obviously liquids tend to be effected by gravity and consistency.
To do each area as a horizontal would be more time consuming and labor intensive however, and would deny that you could COAT the entire piece in one time span. You may still have to steel wool first and successive coats. Part of the issue in that process, comes from agitation of the coating/finish, prior to and during application.
Steven Wolf
Just my two “sense”
#3 by Bobs MonOncle at June 17th, 2010
You don’t have to, but it is helpful. The biggest error I see in applying polyurethane is
a) not thinning it
b) putting on too thick a layer.
Beyond that, I’d really question the wisdom of putting polyurethane over top of a latex paint. This is so fraught with errors I don’t know where to begin. It will not have very good adhesion, meaning it would probably peel, it will also yellow over time, and what is the purpose of doing this? I call this the chocolate-covered marshmallow approach — putting something harder over a soft base. Just stop here.
The other error is putting latex paint on furniture. Fine for walls and trim, but oil base is much harder, flows better, does not block, and is a more appropriate choice for furniture that gets contact.
Do not slay the messenger of bad news.
#4 by ulmets at June 19th, 2010
Make sure to use a water-based polyurethane, polycrylic, acrylic urethane, or a latex varnish — it shouldn’t yellow and it’ll bond better to the latex. Make sure to test in an inconspicuous spot first for compatibility issues and reactions. Lightly sand the paint first and clean it up thoroughly before polying though.
However, unless you used flat latex paint, be absolutely sure that the paint is fully cured or you can run into sticky issues. Flat paint will fully cure within a couple of days and the effect after poly is very nice. But, if you used a semi-gloss, you can be looking at it being tacky for a long long time. You won’t feel it with your hand, but put a magazine on it, weight it with some books, and after a while the sucker will likely stick if you painted within the month. If you used a satin or eggshell finish, wait at least a month before before thinking about putting any poly over the paint. Same if you used semigloss for only the last coat over flat layers. But if you used semi-gloss for all three layers, I’d suggest waiting three months before attempting it. You need to be sure that it’s completely cured for all three layers. I know that’s a long time, but if you don’t, the paint/poly will slowly come off in clumps in high-use areas — it might take 6+ months before it starts and it’ll look really good until then, but it will happen. BTW, if you used a gloss latex for all three layers… eh, forget the poly thing. Either leave it alone or strip it down and do it in flat, then poly.
As stated, the horizontal position is not necessary, but be careful not to apply too much at a time. More poly is not better; it’s just more likely to have problems. Spread it on as thin as you can or thin it down some first, but not too much because you don’t want to mess up or soften the paint.
#5 by jr at June 21st, 2010
Do multiple thin coats to prevent running and rub lightly between coats with fine sand paper or the finest steel wool.Don’t forget to dust off.