# Minwax won't dry- Question



## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

It has been 2 weeks ago that I put on a coat of minwax finish and stain all in one product on a small table. It still tacky a bit today on certain spots. Has anyone experienced this before? The temperature has been between 55-78 F and humidity around 30% .

I didn't want to throw out a little can my wife had bought last year but now I wish I had. As always thanks for your help.

best


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

Chelios;

Did you stir it well. I used same product l(gunstock) last week in about 90% shop humidity and it was ready for finish in about 2 hours.

Good Luck!


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

When you say it was an all-in-one, I'm guessing stain and poly mix. What kind of wood was it and had it previously been finished or had any other treatments? Oil or water base?


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks Rick,

I was pretty sure I stirred it well but now that I think about it I don't remember if I did stir it or just shook the can a bit. Maybe that's what I did wrong…So if it isn't drying is there a fix?


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

Greg thanks

The wood is oak. It did have another stain before that I sanded off. The finish I used was oil based but I don't know what finish was used previously.


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## Stevinmarin (Dec 24, 2009)

Stirring is super important, but if you did that my guess is that the poly part of the mixture has gone bad. If I'm not mistaken, there is a solvent in polyurethane that needs to evaporate from the wood surface. If it were me, I think I would try to wipe as much off with mineral spirits at this point. I suspect the stain color will still remain and you could apply a new poly finish. Maybe seal it with a coat of shellac first? Maybe you could run a test in an inconspicuous spot.


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

It is possible that the finish had past its shelf life (and that would be exacerbated if not well stirred). Depending on how much sanding you did, there might still be some existing finish in the wood. Polys don't like lacquers (and some others) and that could also cause a drying problem on the poly.


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

Steve

Thanks for the advice…the can was pretty old. That'll teach me..I am going to try that out with the mineral spirits and hope that the stain holds.


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## TimLawson (Apr 27, 2010)

I think that at this point I'd make the assumption that it isn't going to dry. I'd share the suspicion that it wasn't fully mixed when you applied it.

I'm not sure I have great options for you… You could try putting it outdoors on a sunny day and see if that finished the job by heating the surface. For example linseed oil kicks much faster when warm (160 degrees F). The other alternative is to try and lift the finish and not mess up the staining. I'd consider using OOOO steel wool and mineral spirits to see if that will remove the tacky areas.

You say the table is small - the area you'll be most worried about is the top. If the above suggestions don't fix it I'd try stripping the top. I'd start with a card scraper to lift the finish and then maybe sand or plane (depending on your comfort with the technique). If sanding then 180/220 grit is about the max you'll need to go to. However I'd recommend using the restirred or new batch of finish only after you've tried it on a board of the same stock prepared the same way.

My motto is try the finish process / protocol on a scrap board board before applying it to a finished piece - even if it delays you by a week. That's a small price to pay.

Good luck

Tim


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

What did you put on the wood, if anything, before you applied the Minwax?


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

Tim thanks you are right…this was a good lesson for me. I think from now on I will do trial runs on scrap pieces.

This is really helpful


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

John

I put nothing on…just sanded an old finish it already had.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Greetings Chelios: I agree with Steveinmarin: I would wipe the whole table down real good with mineral spirits to remove the sticky stuff. Let it dry good for a couple of three hours, and check for tackyness. Then… get a new can of stain, put on a coat or two (?), let that dry for a day or so, then put the poly over the stain that way, and let that dry good. Sand, poly, light sanding, final coat of poly… that'll do it. This may not be the way you want to go, but I think it's the best way to fix your problem…...... later.


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks Rick

This sounds good to me…I am going to try that today. I really do hope this resolves it….thanks again


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Steve is right … this happened to me a few years ago when I tried to use some 10 year old stain/poly on a bench I built. I'm not really that cheap … I intended to use some stuff that I had used a few weeks prior on a banister but grabbed the wrong can.

After letting it sit for a week (including a couple of days outside on the porch), I gave up and wiped it down with mineral spirits. It took several passes, but eventually I got rid of the goo leaving the color from the stain. A day or two later, I gave it a couple of coats of clear poly and it has been fine since.

From that little episode, I learned a couple of valuable lessons: I try to buy an amount that is right for the project so I don't have a lot left over, and the first time I open a can of stain, finish, or paint, I use a Sharpie to write the date on the lid of the can. If it has been sitting more than a couple of months, I most often will just toss it and buy new.


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## BigG (Dec 30, 2009)

What TheDane said. Do not try and old finish!


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Tim, 
Never suggest that somebody should put a piece of furniture with an uncured finish out in the sun. That's just plain mean. You've obviously never experienced outgassing of solvent, moisture or air which will bubble up under a soft finish when the object is suddenly put in the sun. Did anybody ask Chelios if he put on too heavy a coat, or a second coat over an insufficiently-dried first coat?


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## TimLawson (Apr 27, 2010)

Poopiekat,
You're right I've never experienced that - so I'll take your admonishment (did I really use that word?).

Reading the whole thread reinforces my belief that poly finishes have to be used fresh and with caution.

I'll stick with a core principle - try the whole finishing process on scrap before finishing the piece.

Tim


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

So here is the beggining of a happy ending…I went ahead and wiped down the table per your reco. I was careful not to mess up the stain. The stain stayed behind and I actually did leave the table out in the sun for about 6 hrs. (I hadn't read your post Poopiekat). But I guess I was lucky the table dried up and it didn't buble or anything. And it was really really dry.

Now I am going to wait a bit and put a coat of poly next to see how it takes.

Thanks everybody for getting me here so far. I will keep you posted on the end result

best


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## Chelios (Jan 2, 2010)

So final update on this story…first coat of poly dried up in 2 hrs. Thanks everybody for helping me out. Thanks to your advice I was able to dodge another one. I hope one day to repay the favors. Just got to get really good at this first.

All the best


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## bobkberg (Dec 26, 2009)

Very interesting series of posts! Highly Educational!


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## kathyp (Mar 12, 2012)

I created an account just so I could tell y'all how well this works! I had also used some old Minwax to stain a dresser. After 48 hours it was still very tacky to the touch, even though I had mixed it very well. I soaked a rag with mineral spirits per Stevenmarin, and wiped the surface well. It's AMAZING. The stain stayed and the surface looks beautiful! This fix took me 5 minutes, and I am delighted. Thank you!


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Interesting read. In my experience, the products settle out in the can and they have to be mixed thoroughly before using. I have used 25 year old half cans of poly varnish. I have not tried the poly/stain combo. I would never recommend using old varnish on a piece of fine furniture. I use small projects for teaching my grandchildren. We make handles for scrapers when they break etc. If they can't do those things they can't move forward. Old varnish works well there.


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## cfro (Jul 8, 2015)

> It has been 2 weeks ago that I put on a coat of minwax finish and stain all in one product on a small table. It still tacky a bit today on certain spots. Has anyone experienced this before? The temperature has been between 55-78 F and humidity around 30% .
> 
> I didn t want to throw out a little can my wife had bought last year but now I wish I had. As always thanks for your help.
> 
> ...


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## cfro (Jul 8, 2015)

So if you can was too old how long does a can last?


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

cfro, if the can is unopened, oil based finishes have a really, really, long shelf life. That changes once it's opened. While there are a lot of tricks to try and save it once opened, it's best to plan on using it up as quickly as possible.


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