Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - stain/finish rough

i know the stain is rough after appling. i sand it smooth. my problem is my polyeth. coat is also rough. i have used sponge brushes,old t-shirts,paint brushes. cant get smooth finish even with sanding. help please

Need a little more information.

The name brand of the stain and type; the name brand of the finish, and type; the species of wood your finishing.

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George T.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by msturg:
i know the stain is rough after appling. i sand it smooth. my problem is my polyeth. coat is also rough. i have used sponge brushes,old t-shirts,paint brushes. cant get smooth finish even with sanding. help please<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
the stain is min-wax water-based and finish is also. trouble with hardwoods being smooth and especially birch plywood.

Go to a pro paint store and ask for there finest steel wool, made for shining lacquer finishes, try it on a small spot first, to make sure it will work on waterbased urathane, if it does, use a quality furniture polish to finish(also make sure the furniture polish is compatable with the finish)

Do not use steel wool if it is not extra fine made for lacquer finishes.

[This message has been edited by Chipfo (edited September 04, 2000).]

Chip has some reasonable advice for curing the symptoms, but it sounds like you're not sanding the wood smooth before stain/finish, or not removing the sanding debris and it's getting into the finish.

Always wipe a piece down after sanding and before applying a stain. I usually use either a 'tack' rag (I make my own) or a rag WET (not damp) with paint thinner. This is done after I run a Shop Vac with a round brush attachment over the piece to pick up the major debris.

The products are good products. Something (the above is just my opinion) is wrong with your technique, and what I mentioned is what I think is the most probably cause of your problems.

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George T.

the finish has an orange peel feel to it after applying finish. will debris cause this problem.

I agree with George, the best way to do this is with a spray rig, but without experience this can make a big mess.

When brushing, you will leave brush marks, how noticable depends on experience, the quality of the brush and the material applied and thinning.

The steel wool I mentioned is for minor imperfections, such as dust, I would think your "orange peel" is a matter of application, after reviewing the posts.

I wish I could be more helpful, but frankly it sound like some sort of contamination, possibly silicon. The only solution I can offer is to strip it again, clean completely wiht lacquer thinner, and go at it again.

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George T.