Hey everyone! I'm working on my very first DIY project, which is a butcher block for my desktop. I've done well with the sanding and applied one coat of oil-based stain. However, I jumped the gun and applied the oil-based polyurethane before the stain was completely dry. I'm worried that this will affect the adhesion of the poly. To make matters worse, there's a bit of stain mixed into the poly because I didn't transfer some into a separate container first. What steps can I take next? Also, I haven't done the other side of the board yet, so it's only one side that's messed up.
2 Answers
It sounds like you've got a situation on your hands! Since it's a solid wood tabletop, you can definitely fix this. The best approach is to sand off the poly and stain completely. The wet stain will interfere with the poly’s bond, which is why starting fresh is advisable.
I agree with the others. For a desktop, you might want to consider using a hardwax or tung oil instead of poly in the future. But for now, you really should strip it down to bare wood and start over to make sure you get a good finish.