How To Apply Wipe-On Polyurethane With Glass Smooth Results 

I use Wipe-On poly a lot. For a four coat finish, I wait 2-3 hours between 1st and 2nd coats, 3+ hours between 2nd and 3rd and overnight between 3rd and fourth. I only sand after the 3rd coat and you'll know that its dry when your 220 grit sanding sponges creates a white powder. It's not ready when you feel little tacky spheres and no white powder. The 4th coat goes on like wiping glass. I apply as much as I can without leaving puddles on every coat. For more depth that completely fills the grain, I sometimes do up to seven coats and always sand before the final coat and at three coats. Usually only seven coats are done on table or furniture tops. Poly is much more durable than most non-poly finishes and although the solvent base Wipe-On looks better than water based poly, it does add some yellow/brown tint but that really pops on walnut and white oak. Brushing is a pain and you need to know what you're doing not to leave brush marks. Spraying would probably be the best, if you have the setup.

Glad I am not the only person that repurposes old t-shirts like this! Great overview of the whole process! As a heads up- you can make your own wipe-on poly by mixing 50:50 polyurethane and mineral spirits. I fill an old water bottle with as much as I need for a project.

I do this using polyacrylic. I find I don't have as much sanding to do. I also don't do the 600 grit paper to do that last sand. I just lightly sand with a 120 , wipe clean . Then, take brown paper , I reuse the paper that Amazon packs some things with to ship. Ball it up and then rub it in circles over the finish until you get a beautiful smooth finish. It adds a nice light sheen and feels as soft as a babies bottom. 😊

Great video. I’m going to use this stuff on a door. The brush on kind is driving me crazy. Sick of the brush marks and bubbles no matter how careful I am, watching what brush I’m using and all that. Done with it

Great tips on using this stuff man!

How do you guys not get streaks or overlap marks with a tshirt? No matter how light of a coat i use, it still gets streaks I switched to cheese cloth on it. Seems to be alittle better

I am not sure I agree that there are better finishes at specialty stores. Minwax wipe on has been my go to for more years than I care to admit to. It used to come in a black and gold can and did not say "quick drying". This stuff in the silver and black can, the quick drying iteration, is ever better than the old stuff. As far as woodwork, I mostly turn bowls these days and typically put on 5 or 6 coats of Minwax. Contrary to what some have suggested, it is not necessary to wait 2-3 hours to recoat with this new stuff. I put a coat on every 30 minutes, let it polymerize overnight, and in the morning it is hard enough to lightly sand, and put on one or two more coats. I get a glasslike finish, even on open grain woods like the oak bowls I have been turning lately from locally fallen oaks. The old version did indeed need a couple hours between coats and several days before sanding and final finishing.

I really love your wood stain color. Could you please share which color you stained with on that block ?

thanks for the video, very helpful. Question: I couldn't quite tell from the video - were you applying this to the top and bottom at the same time? If so, any issues with marks being left on it where it rested on those disks? Thanks!

I’ve done 14 coats and it still looks like ass lol I can’t seem to get rid of the streaks

This video is a year old but do you remember what stain you used? I really like that color.

Dumb question. But you do not add an additional coat after the 600 grit? Correct?

Hey great content! How long do you wait in between coats?

You mean Cool Hwhip, I guess. XD

What do you do if you did add a second coat and it's blotchy with rag scenes????

Does the 600 grit sandpaper at the end leave a bunch of scratch marks?

Why do you start sanding after the second coat? I've heard of doing it before and after so I'm curious about your reasoning. Thank you!

They say glossy glass but never is it glassy looking like resin for example

You didn't use the gloves 🙃

Music is too loud...distracting.

Gloves and mask!

As a automotive painter , i took this way to far .... very happy with the results though

Thats a good tip for not sanding until 2nd coat with the wipe on because it applies so thin its really easy to knock down to grain

Im doing interior doors, do i need to sand by hand or can i use a sander?

I used your t-shirt method to put coats on a gunstock I am refinishing, thanks for the tip

Hi from South African vloggers 🇿🇦 😀 ❤️ 🌍 .

Can I use this technique for polycrylic?

If you use to course of a paper on this think application method its easy to burn through the actual color. To ensure adhesion between coats i used grey scuff (or scotch bright) pad that is just course enough to leave scratches and take the shine away for the following coat to have something to bite into, but not scratchy enough to remove film build and potentially remove the base color

Another video on RU-vid is "Don't buy Wipe-On Poly". Point of the video is you make your own at a much cheaper cost. Wipe on poly is nothing more than regular poly diluted with mineral spirits. So, buy regular poly, mineral spirits and mix 1:1 ratio.

I saw your video AFTER I did my projects. I did use a lint free cloth but it was streaky on 1st & 2nd coat. I loved your video but I found out that I should have folded my cloth so there would be no edges. So will try again and see if that works better. I only have 220 sandpaper so will need to buy the higher grit.

Looks amazing. I wish I had done this first instead of using varathane oil based polyurethane because I now have bubbles and brush strokes that are visible. Can I sand down the polyurethane to get rid of the imperfections and then use wipe on poly? Even though there will be oil based poly underneath it that I applied with a brush?

Anyway, I like how you sound like rapping because of bgm.😁

Great, informative, and straight to the point! I'm using this method with Minwax's water-based poly (undiluted because it's already so thin) and am LOVING how smooth every coat is! Especially compared to my first two, which I brushed on and had to sand like crazy because of the bubbles. The note at around 3:15 about possibly needing up to 7 coats of real wipe-on poly has me a little stumped, though. I know that generally, you need more coats of water-based than oil-based, so does that mean I should be applying more than 7 coats for a high-traffic tabletop? If so, how many? Can someone please help out a total rookie?

This is SUPER helpful! I have a homemade studio desk in my studio that’s still raw wood. So again your tips help! 😎👊

I’m getting around to trying this technique. Tell me what I’m doing wrong. After two coats I still see the marks from the rag. Am I putting it on to think or not thick enough. Thanks in advance for your help.

Great for gun stocks too

Will a flannel shirt work?

This is SO helpful. I’m new to furniture flipping and I cringe at the top coat process. Going to Home Depot this weekend to purchase Wipe on Poly. Thank you!! 🤍🤍

Had the brilliant idea of refininshing my kitchen table. OMG so much work but I'm so happy with how it came out. I went from a yellow oak color to classic black stain. It looks AWESOME. I originally used polycrylic top coat and it was a DISASTER. I'm so glad I found this video because you SAVED ME!!!!!!!! I'm about to start my 3rd coat and it already looks amazing!!

I have an old buffet i just got off Craigslist. I thought it was solid wood until i started cleaning off all the dust and it turns out its wood veneer. Ugh. It has no finish on it. Maybe some remnants on the feet, but it's basically naked. I don't want to stain it, but it definitely needs a sealer. I'll probably do some sanding on the main surfaces to try and even out some coloring. But because the hardware is old, I'm nervous to take it apart at all to do anything. Do you think I can use the sealing technique (and product) from this video on vertical surfaces with some nooks and crannies? I really don't want to do a brush-on because I am sure it will drip and i wont be able to get it smooth in the ridges. But this is my first time doing this, so I'm nervous.

What colour did you stain your butcher block. I'm doing a desk top for a standing desk. Do you think 3 coats of wipe on ploy will be sufficient?

Ca i add lacquer thinner on polyurethane ? To gave fast dry!?

Does the Minwax brand tend to yellow over white stains?

💚

Is it clear gloss type or satin clear type?

I finished my dinning table with 8 coats. What do i do next? What comes after the final coat?

The link to which one you use is broke. Can you give us the poly link you use again please. Thanks, and going to try this.

What would you suggest on outdoor French doors to be sanded back down and polyurethaned

Apply with a brush, straight out of the can. Two coats, then cut with a razor and sand with 220 grit, apply the next coat with 30% dilution, razor cut and sand, apply last coat with %50 dilution, sand with 400, wax, and you got a glass top.

0:28 "...so yeah, there are things out there that are better but most of the time they're going to be found in a more speciality type store..." Seriously this is your effort requirement? Has to be at Home Depot or WalMart. Could order it online, but nah.