# Brilliant!



## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi. I just got a small sprayer this month and I'm looking to finish some boxes, but Minwax and "outstanding" aren't two words I usually hear in the same sentence. Do you have a pic of a finished project that you sprayed?
What did you thin it with, and what ratio? And what do you mean with the sanding bit? Is it just a matter of water-base raising the grain with the first coat, or do 2nd/3rd/13th coats not go on smoothly?
And what's the finish look/feel like - glass, plastic, richly oiled wood, somewhere in between?
thanks.


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## mcase (Oct 31, 2009)

I use this a lot and it can look great. I sand it with a 600 grit wet and then wax it and the finish is nice. There are some limitations you might want to keep in mind. It is not a very tough finish and is not suitable for a table top say. It also can absorb stains from simple handling. I made a set of kitchen cabinets (for myself thank heaven) and found that after a couple of years that it darkened and looked greasy around the knobs were people came into contact with it. These darkened greasy looking areas would not clean up as it was really absorbed into the finish. Also any grease spills tend to darken stain it. Another area where it did not hold up so well was on the wood trim near the sink. Water seem to get through it too and darken the wood. So its not the most resistant of finishes. I still use it on the sides of cabinets and areas that take less abuse, but never on the doors or any parts that actually get touched or wet.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

I think, even after this sparkling review, I'll stick to my smelly, flammable lacquer.


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## TheOldTimer (Dec 13, 2009)

I am not a great fan of this product. That said, I do use water base finishes 90% of the time on all projects. If you want to keep the grain from raising and to keep the stain from bleeding, use a 1lb. cut of dewaxed shellac as a first coat after staining. The shellac will seal the stain or material. I do not sand the shellac but sand the first coat of finish after application. Most of the time, prior coats do not need sanding. I sand with 300G paper and if the additional coats do need a sanding, I use 400G. It is getting harder to get oil base finished due to the environment. Some suppliers do not carry them any longer here in Arizona. I mix my own dewaxed shellac from flake material but it is also commercially available in 2lb. cut. You can cut it down to a 1lb. cut with denatured alcohol and it goes a long way. I prefer to make my own, as I know its age. Age effects drying time of the product. One drawback of water base finishes is that they are temperature sensitive at time of application. Here is Arizona when the temperatures are above 90 degrees I do not use them. I shut down my woodworking during the summer months as woodworking in 100-120 degree temperatures is not fun!


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

I've used quite a bit of the Polycrylic. I've always brushed it on.

Dries fast and gives a nice end result.

I use a three step process for finishing pine trim.

1. General finishes "natural" conditioner
2. General finishes die stain (I like the Pecan on pine)
3. Minwax Polycrylic… I hand sand with 400 after the first coat and then put two more on without sanding.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I've used it a lot with an hvlp sprayer. I dust the first coat on then lightly sand it after it dries. Then I put 2-4 more coats on and do a light sanding before the last coat. I have it in my kitchen and I find that it is pretty water resistant. I don't know why some say it isn't. It seems to handle water just as well as the oil based one after it's good and dry. I wouldn't use it on a wood countertop but then again neither would I the oil based one.


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## grumpy749 (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks oldtimer for the finishing tip using a one pound cut of dewaxed shellac as a pre coat to stain finishing. I always use oil based finishes and also experience a stain bleeding problem. I've read about this finishing process before so I will try this soon. As far as your temperature problem goes no sympathy here, try minus 25 like we have got on new years eve here in northern Alberta. My shop is however toasty warm. lol.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I'm with you, jumbojack!


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