Made a mess with brush strokes >> PICTURE ADDED

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Matt Schnurbusch

Matt Schnurbusch

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Matt
So, now what do I do?

Today I managed to make a complete mess of the booth I have been working on. I used General Finishes gell stain in prarie wheat, for the color. I let that sit for several days, and today I went back out to put on the first coat of poly.

Following the directions on the can of General Finishes gel topcoat, I tried applying the poly in a nice thick coat and then wiping it with a clean rag. When I wiped it, it looked awful. So, I brushed it back out with the foam brush. It sill looks like crap, but better than it did when wiping. I was hoping that it would self-level some to disapate the brush marks, so I kept going... IDIOT!!! Also I made the cardinal mistake of not appling to a piece of scrap first... PERFECT IDIOT!!!

So, how do I get rid of the brush strokes? I still need to apply at least one more coat, probably two and I need to fix this before it compounds itself into a complete disaster. I also want some different options for either application of the next coat, or perhaps a different product that I can top coat with.

I had my brother take a few pictures. This one shows my problem the best
DSC_0109.jpg


As usual, I'm hoping y'all can help.

Matt
 
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J

jeff...

Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

I aint never heard of "General Finishes" is that a product name or a technique?
 
ScottM

ScottM

Scott
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Matt, I normally use a wipe-on poly. It takes 3 or 4 coats but leaves a nice smooth finish.

Back to your problem. Is the gelcoat water or oil based? Did it say anything about thinning the product? I would rub it down with 0000 steel wool and try applying a thinned coat. Worst case you will need to sand the gelcoat off. Sorry.


Good Luck.
 
G_ville_worker

G_ville_worker

New User
Bryan
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Unless those smarter than me (most) have a good trick, I'm afraid your going to have to sand out those marks if they are substantial. I used General Finishes' water based poly acrylic on several projects after I painted and distressed them. The only way I could get a finish I was happy with was to by a cheap HVLP sprayer from Harbor Freight and shoot it. I was not satisfied with any brush, foam or otherwise.
 
DaveO

DaveO

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DaveO
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Matt I have no experience with a gel poly topcoat finish, and wonder why you decided to use something like that. The gel nature it has probably would exclude any self-leveling properties. I have used gel stains in areas that I wanted to have more control over the penetration, and they tend to get sticky very fast, but that is all I know.
Probably what you are going to need to do is to sand this coat until you almost get rid of the brush marks. Then switch to a thinned or wiping poly finish and apply twice the number of coats that you would if un-thinned. The thinned or wiping poly will work great with a wipe-on/wipe-off application eliminating the chance of brush marks, but won't build as fast.

Probably the best advice I can give on finishing is to try any new finish or finish schedule on some scrap wood before applying it to your project. It's much less painful to have a problem on scrap wood than on something you've slaved over for a long time.


MTCW,
Dave:)
 
J

jeff...

Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Sorry I have zero experience with "general finishes" do they have a customer service number you can call for help?
 
DaveO

DaveO

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DaveO
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

It sounds like this product line (gel stain/gel topcoat) might be similar to Polyshades by Minwax. A stain and urethane product in one.


Dave:)
 
Bas

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Did you sand the piece after the stain dried? With gel, this is really important.

I've used gel poly once, and I wasn't crazy about it. It's easy to put on too much, you need just the right amount to get things "slick" but not "soggy". Then do a Miyagi impersonation (wax on, wax off - left-a-circle, right-a-circle. don't forget to breathe, very important). The problem is getting a thin, even layer. With a liquid, it's self-leveling. With a gel, it's not unlike a belt sander, it's very easy to have dips. But the layers do build reasonably well, and there are no runs or drips. Great for pieces with lots of detail/ moulding, not so great for large flat surfaces.

You're probably going to have to sand things smooth to get back to square one. A gel top coat may not be the best option here.
 
Joe Scharle

Joe Scharle

New User
Joe
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

It may still be tacky underneath and clog the paper. That's a real disaster! If you don't an answer from Howie, you might think Formby's for a controlled take off. My experience with gel stains is like DaveO said; You gotta move quickly on small areas.
BTW, my one experience with Minwax's, all-in-one, Polyshades cured me of that shortcut!
 
zapdafish

zapdafish

Steve
Corporate Member
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

I hate gel stains, I sucked at being able to adjust colors using additional coats. The new coat would always act as a thinner and mess up the first coat beneath it even after I let it sit there for two weeks. I ended up having to sand the piece down completely and start over with just one coat.

Sounds like the gel topcoat might be thinning and softening the stain coat as its applied allowing your foam brush to mess it up.

I guess I was lucky and was using a water based poly as my final finish which did not act as a thinner on my mineral spirits based gel stain.
 
J

jeff...

Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

zapdafish said:
I hate gel stains, I sucked at being able to adjust colors using additional coats. The new coat would always act as a thinner and mess up the first coat beneath it even after I let it sit there for two weeks. I ended up having to sand the piece down completely and start over with just one coat.

Sounds like the gel topcoat might be thinning and softening the stain coat as its applied allowing your foam brush to mess it up.

I guess I was lucky and was using a water based poly as my final finish which did not act as a thinner on my mineral spirits based gel stain.
Click to expand...

Stain is a bad 5 letter word when it comes to wood - Not to state the obvious but you know they call it stain for a reason.
 
Travis Porter

Travis Porter

Travis
Corporate Member
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Did you let the stain completely dry?

With a gel I would think you need to wipe it off very well as it won't level. Once it dries (5 to 7 days) you can level it with 320 grit sandpaper. You will probably want to add a bit of lubricant (water with a bit of soap) to aid in the sanding process.

Staining can be a pain, but it doesn't have to be. I suggest trying on scrap your finishing plan in the future. PS - I should practice this myself more. Testing on scrap.
 
FredP

FredP

Fred
Corporate Member
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

Travis Porter said:
Did you let the stain completely dry?

With a gel I would think you need to wipe it off very well as it won't level. Once it dries (5 to 7 days) you can level it with 320 grit sandpaper. You will probably want to add a bit of lubricant (water with a bit of soap) to aid in the sanding process.

Staining can be a pain, but it doesn't have to be. I suggest trying on scrap your finishing plan in the future. PS - I should practice this myself more. Testing on scrap.
Click to expand...


most of my projects are from scrap!:icon_thum does that count?:gar-La;
 
H

Howard Acheson

New User
Howard
Re: Made a mess with brush strokes

>> It sounds like this product line (gel stain/gel topcoat) might be similar to Polyshades by Minwax. A stain and urethane product in one.

No Dave, the GF gel varnish is a clear varnish that contains a thickening agent. It's intended to be wiped and rubbed in as I recall. Again, as I recall, applying it per the directions would seem to preclude and possibility of "brush marks".

I used it once and did not like it at all. In addition to being difficult to apply well (it doesn't flow out, it needs to be wiped) it chips very easily. This is because it does not penetrate the wood well so a good bond is impossible.
 
C

CaptnA

Andy
Corporate Member
similar to stated above, my one experience with this type product was a total disaster. I tried sanding, it wasn't dry underneath and that was a mess in its own. I would up stripping, and starting over - with a product I had good experiences with.
Good luck!
and don't think of it as a failure- its a learning experience
 
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