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Am I the only one who ruined a project with quick-dry poly on a humid day?
I was finishing a cherry wood table last week and picked a quick-dry polyurethane because I needed it done fast. The air was thick with moisture, but I ignored it and applied the coat. It looked perfect at first, drying smooth in minutes. But when I checked the next morning, the finish felt dry on top but was sticky underneath. I tried to sand it lightly, and my sandpaper got gummed up right away. Now I have to strip the whole thing back to bare wood, which is a huge pain. This happened to me before with a different brand, so it's not a one-off thing. Always check your shop's humidity or use a slower drying finish when it's muggy, or you'll waste hours fixing it.
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hernandez.morgan7mo ago
Consider how humidity gets trapped between coats, not just during the first one. That sticky layer might be water vapor sealed under a dry top coat, acting like glue. I've had luck putting a fan directly on the piece to move the damp air away before the next coat, but really, a dehumidifier in the shop is the only real fix.
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leowest7mo ago
A buddy of mine was refinishing an old door last spring. He used a fast-drying varnish on a really damp afternoon. The surface seemed set, but it stayed tacky for days underneath. He ended up scraping it all off and starting over with a different product when the weather cleared up.
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