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Design Dilemma
wesleyoh

2-1 Stain + Poly gone wrong and need help!!!

wesleyoh
8 years ago

I applied those 2 in 1 poly + stain finish for my coffee table top. Regretted using 2-1 products as it does not give me an even finish.

This table top is made of MDF board plus 3.5mm of oak. I have sanded using 100 grit to remove the finish however Im not too sure how far should i sand it. Im scared that i will sand through the wood into the MDF board. From the side it still shows alot of oak left. Should i sand back to the original oak colour? I will be applying separate wood stain and finish with poly instead of the 2-1.


Picture 1 is before sanding


Picture 2 is after sanding with 100 grit. (The sides are close to the original oak colour)


Featured Answer
  • apple_pie_order
    8 years ago

    The oak looks fine in the American walnut stain. A couple more coats of poly would be good. Kudos on your persistence.

    • Comments (13)

    • PRO
      Cancork Floor Inc.
      8 years ago

      This is the 2-in-1 not soaking through evenly. That's a good indication that the previous finish may not have been sanded down all the way. Some of these finishes will penetrate as much as 1mm into wood (part of the reason why a hardwood floor sanding takes off as much as 3mm of wood).

      You will need to sand this back down to raw wood and start again. Stripping agents can also prevent finish from absorbing into wood in the same way. Another reason why wood floor finishes are sanded and not "melted" off using chemicals.

      I'm hoping a furniture professional will pop in. Rockin' Fine Finish or Al Fortunato are both well versed at this type of thing (and several other furniture refinishers who's names excape me at midnight).

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago


      I have sanded down (on the left side). Is it enough?

    • izeve
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      Yes, that looks good on the left. After you take all of the existing finish off, make sure to go over the table with 220 grit paper until the entire surface is very smooth. I would recommend using a separate stain and separate top coat. The 2 in 1 products are difficult to apply and get right. I recently refinished a table using General Finishes Gel Stain and Gel Top Coat, with very good results.

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      if it is white oak.... do i need to use wood conditioner before stain?

    • izeve
      8 years ago

      I'd say no. Oak takes stain really well. What color are you trying to get? If it's dark, you will likely need several coats of stain.

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      trying to go for american walnut colour.

    • izeve
      8 years ago

      What product are you planning to use?

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      mine is a local product from Singapore. Its very difficult to find wood stains here. I will be using betex wood dye and Kimtone satin poly finish.

    • izeve
      8 years ago

      Wood dye is different than stain - I never worked with it but I think it soaks into the grain a lot more than stain which sits more on top. Make sure you try it out first on a scrap piece of oak (or the underside of your table).

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Thanks izeve... Sanded to raw wood.. ( hard work, took me 2 days)


      applied the the wood dye and 1 cost of poly

    • wesleyoh
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Thanks izeve... Sanded to raw wood.. ( hard work, took me 2 days)


      applied the the wood dye and 1 cost of poly

    • izeve
      8 years ago

      Looks good. Apply a couple more thin coats of poly (sand lightly with very fine sandpaper between coats). One coat is not likely to be durable enough.

      wesleyoh thanked izeve
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