# POLY FINISH SMELLS



## heathbar (Dec 28, 2011)

I recently finished some furniture with minwax polyshades, and the smell is pretty strong. Is this normal? What can I do to eliminate it?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

It should subside in a day or two, i dont think that there is anything that you can do to eliminate the smell other than moving to a waterborne finish.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I don't use any MW products unless I can help it. I've gone to Modern Masters water borne 'cause it doesn't STINK, and is easily cleaned up. I feel that MW stuff is a "beginners" product (I'll wait for the blast). Studying finishing has been a long-term process for me. Lots of trials and errors, so I have begun to use more sophisticated finishes. Don't wanna sound like an elitist by any means, but ther are more quality finishes out there. Believe me, I've made my mistakes tooooooo.
Shellac sealers and WB top coats have made my projects MUCH better.
Polyshades is a "toner" in that it carries a color in the finish. I have found that it has a tendancy to sag on vertical surfaces and doesn't color the wood as much as it masks it.
Oh well…..
Just my thoughts.
Bill


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## heathbar (Dec 28, 2011)

Thanks for the comments…. Let me say first that I am a beginner.

I have used other finishes before including shellac, danish oil, tung oil, and other stains. However I had some of this polyshades stuff given to me, and I thought I would use it. I will think twice next time. The smell is one thing, but your right about it wanting sag on vertical surfaces. I wasn't too worried about the finish looking spectacular because I was sealing and staining some WW II ammo boxes that had been given to me. They were pretty rough, and I wanted to keep that look.

any more suggestions or resources is welcome.


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Funny, I was in the same situation. I'm making a small side table for my mom-in-law and she bought me a small can of Polyshades because the color on the can looked like what she wants. I experimented on a couple of pieces of scrap wood, and I absolutely *hate* the stuff. Color goes on thin and splotchy, tends to clump, is a pain to smooth out, and then you have to repeat the whole process three or four times to get the darker shade you're trying for. And by that point, forget about trying to see any wood grain!

I'm glad I didn't use this stuff on the actual table. Gift or not, Polyshades is just plain unusable. I tossed it out.

I haven't been doing this very long, but I am very wary around anything that claims to be 2 in 1. Like shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle, your hair doesn't end up as clean or conditioned as it would ordinarily, because they're two completely different chemical processes.


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