Doors and Windows - Poly on Window trim

Hello,
I am in a house that is 2 years old. We have harsh winters here in ND and we can get a lot of condensation on the windows.
I noticed after last winter some bubblin on most of the windows of the polyurethene. I think it was a light two coat satin application.

I am not sure if this is going to cause issues in the future or if it is somethin I need to fix right away. I was thinking of running over it (without attempting to remove the pieces) with some stain as that has dulled too, and then use an outdoor type poly?

Is there an easier method or better?

I have tried this on a couple of windows, but the bubbling is primarily in the corners or the seems of the wood and I am finding it difficult to get that poly off.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the help.

You cannot apply stain over a polyurethaned surface.Stain must soak into the wood and can't once sealed.If you want to change the color you must use a tinted polyurethane product such as Minwax Polyshades or similar.

The term "bubbling" suggests you are seeing actual spots where moisture etc is trying to move through the finish.I'm wondering if what you really see is the finish beginning to peel away at edges and corners.

You could try sanding these areas a bit and applying poly over it but if this peeling is beyond a certain point you really would need to remove all loose or lifting finish and redo/reapply it.

I'm guessing you suggested outdoor varnish/poly because the windows receive a lot of sun?This is not a bad idea and also may be a factor in the deteroration of the existing finish because UV will break down indoor poly and other indoor products exposed to a lot of sunlight.It will also fade indoor stains.

I guessing that because it's a new house and the poly failed after only 2 years that there probably wasn't enough poly applied to start with. SOP [for a quality job] is to apply the stain and then either 3 coats of poly or 1 coat of sanding sealer and 2 coats of varnish. I usually use the latter as it is a little quicker :D I don't ever recall using a spar finish on the interior of a window but can see where it could be of some benifit.

Generally a light sanding [or steel wool] and another coat [or 2] of poly will make it look new. The sash and window sill can be damaged enough to need more work but that isn't all that likely with just 2 yrs of wear. After you sand, take a wet thinner rag and wipe over the areas that need recoating. While the wood is still wet with the thinner - that will give you an idea as to how it will look with another coat of poly.