[walleye vision]

I applied my final coat of poly to my project and on a portion of it, there are some areas of frosty streaks. You only notice them if the light is reflecting off of the area but it is really annoying. I used Rustoleum water based poly (gloss) for the first three coats and Rustoluem satin for the final coat. I sanded with 320 grit after the first and third coats. I noticed these frosty streaks after the final sanding, but everything looks frosty after sanding poly so I didn't think anything of it. If it means anything, I put on the final coat of poly thinnly, but evenly. Luckily the trouble area is located on a bread board of my table only, so if it can be fixed, I won't have to redo everything.

So, does anyone have any ideas what I did wrong and how I can fix it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Picture?

 

[walleye vision]

At work now, will try and figure out how to post a picture later.

 

[HowardAcheson]

I sounds like you may not have thoroughly stirred the gloss reducing flatters into the satin finish. When using a non-gloss finish I stir 100 strokes in one direction and then 100 strokes in the other keeping my stirrer in contact with the bottom of the can. Re-stir ever 10-15 minutes during application.

What you can do now is to lightly scuff sand the surface with 320 paper. Then buy a new can of the satin finish, stir properly and apply a new coat of finish. That will create an even satin look to the surface.

 

[walleye vision]

That makes sense, but wouldn't the whole table look that way then?

 

[walleye vision]

Ok, here are so pics. It was harder than I thought it would be to capture this on camera, so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about. The table has been distressed, so the dents and dings are supposed to be there.

Just to reinterate (sp?), the finish was perfectly clear after three coats of gloss poly. After the final sanding w 320 is when I first noticed the frosty marks. I was hoping they'd disappear with the final coat. All coats were brushed on with a synthetic hair brush.

 

[walleye vision]

Ok, after reading some other stuff, I'm wondering if its the humidity that is causing the cloudiness. One site stated to run a hair dryer over the area to draw the moisture out. Is that even possible with poly that's been dry for 12+ hours?

 

[Steve Neul]

It's not humidity. When a finish blushes much more of the surface is cloudy with almost a wax paper look to it. I think what happened is you trapped sanding dust from sanding between coats in the finish. It seems to be just in the crevases. You might try sanding some of that out but you may have to color the white spots with color tint or a dye and put another coat of the Rustoleum on.

 

[walleye vision]

Ugh, that sounds like no fun. I do vacuum the surface then blow off with my compressor. Should I dust the surface with a moist rag or something too? I know tack cloths are a no no.

 

[lilman]

Just throwing my 2 cents in based off my one time doing poly. Sanding and scraping would leave a hazy look to it. Generally this haze would be gone when I put my next coat on, but the haze would remain if I didn't coat the particular area well. May not be the case here but was the case in mine.

 

[Steve Neul]

Ugh, that sounds like no fun. I do vacuum the surface then blow off with my compressor. Should I dust the surface with a moist rag or something too? I know tack cloths are a no no.

A damp cloth would be good however you would really have to make sure the moisture was gone before topcoating. Perhaps before going any farther you might let us know specifically which Rustoleum product you have for the final coat. It may takes some experimentation to come up with a better solution. The white will have to be removed or colored before you can coat it again. The satin finish should be kept at a minimum. I've done that exact same thing with a lacquer finish but lacquer is easier to fix. Lacquer thinner on a lacquer finish will just melt it away.

 

[cabinetman]

Ugh, that sounds like no fun. I do vacuum the surface then blow off with my compressor. Should I dust the surface with a moist rag or something too? I know tack cloths are a no no.

When you vacuum, the exhaust can disperse dust in the air, as will using compressed air. The "frosty look could be the flatteners. The wood looks like its been sanded with a very rough grit. When finished, that can pick up light and appear "frosty".

.

 

[walleye vision]

Update: I went over the surface with a synthetic abrasive pad to buff out the areas, then for good measure, sanded with 320 (I know, I did it backwards). Shop vac'd , blew off with an air hose, wiped down with a moist rag, ran a hairdryer over everything to asure it wss dry and then vacuumed again with the wife's dyson. Moved the project to my air conditioned basement, stirred the poly 100x's in each direction and applied. The result: it looks great. Thanks for all your help and tips.