polyurethane?

Question

trying to refinsh cherrywood cabinets. sanded to bare wood but the wood seems to be sealed with a previous finish. urethane fish-eyes and won't level even sanding between coats. is there a primer? suggestions please

Answer 1

I suggest a water based poly. I performs as well as polyurethane, but is a lot easier to apply and does not have the odor. It will work better on shiny surfaces, but I recommend some fine Scotchbrite pads to remove everything as well as you can before coating again.

Answer 2

if you sanded to bare wood, then you should have sanded whatever sealer was originally put on the cabinets, which was probably lacquer based. anyway, the waterbased poly is a pretty good idea, but i still am concerned about the fish eyes. is the room really humid? damp? usually fish eyes are moisture related or adhesion issues. i would resand the cabinets down to bare wood, and maybe try a little coarser grit sandpaper, to give the poly plenty of bite. what brand of poly are you using? is it a cheap brand, it may just be bad poly. I know that most people like minwax, but personally, i hate it. It is the worst poly out there. I would recommend Zar ultra poly, if you want to stick with oil based. it is a fast dry poly that will dry to the touch in a couple of hours.

Answer 3

For removing urethane from hard woods (oak, cherry, mahogany, etc.) use Peel Away 6 or Peel Away 7. Peel Away 7 will not raise the grain or discolor the wood at all. No neutralization is needed for the Peel Away 7.

Peel Away 6 is an environmentally safe, user-friendly paint remover that is specially formulated to remove multiple layers of paint from all surfaces. It is especially good for removing varnish and paint from fine furniture or hardwood where the color of the wood is to be kept natural or stained. Peel Away 6 will remove coatings without raising the grain or discoloring the wood. Average coverage per gallon is 50-75 sq ft. Good for removing: varnish, urethane, shellac and paint from, wood, brick, stone, aluminum, plaster, metal, fiberglass and cement. http://www.paintremoval.com/Qstore/c000011.htm

Peel Away 7 is an environmentally safe paint remover used to remove latex and oil paint. It is stronger than the Peel Away 6, especially at removing oil/lead based paint from wood to be kept natural after stripping. It can be used indoors and outdoors, is highly recommended for exterior cedar or redwood shakes because it creates no moisture on the surface being stripped.

Average coverage per gallon is 30-40 sq ft. Can use an oil based primer after removal with Peel Away 7. Adheres both vertically and horizontally. Ideal for carved and molded surfaces. Dwell time varies according to the number of layers being removed and environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. Recommended you test a couple of areas first to determine the appropriate dwell time for your conditions. Cover the Peel Away 7 with a sheet of plastic to prevent the product from drying out too quickly and decreasing the dwell time and effectiveness of the product. It should also be protected from direct sunlight. If you only have one coat of paint to remove, you may notice the Peel Away 7 to start to "bubble" in as soon as 30 minutes. It is then ready to be removed. http://www.paintremoval.com/Qstore/c000003.htm

Use a water based product on your new cabinets and as a top-up coat (or two) after roughening the existing surface with 240-grit sandpaper. I'd suggest you first try hand-sanding down to new wood in one affected area then recoat the entire cabinet. It's impossible to say that'll work for sure, but it's worth a try and alot depends on your finesse with the job. That's why you should try this fix initially in one spot only. Cherry is a beautiful wood and deserves to look its best. If an exact colour match with the old wood isn't essential, then you might also consider a satin finish oil-based urethane on your new surfaces. This is somewhat easier to apply successfully than water based products and is a little more durable.

Answer 4

I found out that my GF is allergic to latex so we had to quit using them. I went out and bought the Trojan lamb skin ones, the one thing about them is that they don't protect against STDs and I believe that is because of them not being latex. The one thing that me and my GF did do is both get tested so we have less to worry about as far as STDs are concerned. But at the same time, people have to have trusting relationship for this to effectively work. Tell your BF to not be hesitant. You both should get tested maybe that will make him fell better.