I'm working on a cabinet and used Halcyon polyurethane for the finish. The first coat went on perfectly, but I've noticed that each subsequent coat has developed more orange peel than the one before. I've mixed it with 10% water to prevent it from being too thick, and I've ensured everything was mixed evenly. I've even cleaned the gun between coats. I'm just perplexed by the results! Does anyone have any insights on why this is happening?
2 Answers
It sounds like your later coats might not be wet enough. To avoid orange peel, you need to apply a coat thick enough so that the droplets merge together smoothly, filling in any imperfections that might be occurring from wood grain or previous coats. The tricky part is on vertical surfaces where you want to avoid runs by applying too much. Are you spraying with a dedicated rig or just using cans?
Also, don’t forget about the drying time! With poly, you usually want to wait longer between coats, sometimes 10 hours. But check the product instructions, as they might differ.