Ray Stubbs wrote on Jun 24
th, 2017 at 11:50am:
I've read this whole blog, and nowhere did see where anyone said anything about using sanding sealer before applying WOP. I think what's happening is the wood is soaking up the WOP for the first 6 to 8 coats.
While I understand your point, IMO there's more to it.
To achieve a "glossy finish you either need to,
1. Use a product
designed to produce a glossy finish
or
2. Use a product that
can achieve a glossy finish by buffing/polishing.
Each product has it's own method of getting to the final 'glossy' result.
In the majority of cases, you do not
need to use sanding sealer, but as mentioned it can help to lessen the amount of coats it takes in order to build the top-coat.
Typically, most WOP's are a thinned down version of standard polyurethane. It's designed to be easier applied without leaving application marks and dry more quickly. On the down side, it also takes many more coats (3-4 times) to build a thick enough film to get to the glossy result the OP is looking for.
Today, most polyurethanes can be wiped on without thinning and have very good self leveling qualities. Depending on your personal preferences there is no need, other than convenience, to buy a wipe on product. If you want/need a thinned version it's simple enough to thin it yourself with the appropriate solvent/thinner. Read the label to determine what product to thin your polyurethane/varnish with.
Home Page 
Pages: 
