Furniture and Furnishings - Refinishing Birch

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Garuda
06-04-09, 11:05 AM
I have a chair out of birch and wanted to refinish it. I tried polyurethene but all I got was a mess; the piece was covered with brush strokes. What is a better method?:confused:

marksr
06-04-09, 02:09 PM
Welcome to the forums!

Not sure if I totally understand:o

Did you completely strip the old finish? any stain involved?

If brush strokes are the only issue, they can be sanded out and another coat of poly applied. You need to use a good natural bristle brush and maybe thin the poly a little.
Gunguy45
06-04-09, 02:18 PM
No pro...but it could be that spraying would be a better solution...

Not as good of coverage as brushing and quite a bit of waste...but it depends on the chair.

marksr
06-04-09, 02:30 PM
Ya, spraying gives the best looking results but may not be the best diy option. You need both the equipment and the experience. You can get poly in spray cans but typically a spray can doesn't apply the coating thick enough to wear well. If I was to use a spray can, I'd first brush on 2-3 coats, sand and remove dust and then just spray the final coat.
George
06-05-09, 05:38 AM
Since I don't have room for a full fledged "pro" spray apparatus in my shop, I cheat.

Minimum two coats brush applied poly - 220 sand after each coat - wipe clean after each sanding.

Aerosol poly (same brand, same sheen) as the final coat. No brush marks. Been using this technique for years...