I'm new to woodworking and just finished building a table. I stained it and applied a coat of Polycrylic, but it dried faster than I expected, leaving some brush strokes. Can I fix this by lightly sanding it down, or am I out of luck? Also, how long should I wait before applying a coat of polyurethane over the Polycrylic?
3 Answers
You can absolutely sand it down and reapply! If you find the brush strokes are still there after the first coat, you might want to try making a "wipe-on poly" by mixing the Polycrylic with water (about 50/50). It’ll take more coats, but there'll be no brush strokes that way! And if you still have any nibs after your last coat, a quick buff with some brown paper bag works great.
Definitely sand it down lightly, and when you reapply, consider thinning the next coat a bit. That should help with the brush strokes action. Just remember, finishes are pretty forgiving—if things go wrong, just sand it back down and give it another shot!
Yeah, a light sanding with some 320 grit should help smooth out those brush strokes. If you want to keep using Polycrylic, go ahead and apply another coat after sanding. Just a heads up, Polycrylic is really just a water-based polyurethane, so if you're thinking about switching to polyurethane as a topcoat, that's totally fine as well. The hardware guy might've mixed up the details, but you’re not alone in facing this issue!