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How to finish wood with Water Borne Finishes

Sand wood. If the wood is rough, sand first with 100-grit sandpaper. Remove dust with a rag dampened with water or vacuum. DO NOT USE A TACK RAG! Tack rags leave a thin coat of oil on the surface, which will adversely affect intercoat adhesion. Note that steel wool is not recommended. Tiny bits of the steel wool may remain on the wood and rust when the water based finish is applied. The rust will cause unsightly brown spots on the surface. Sand again with fine 180 grit sandpaper and remove dust.      Foam brush applicators work particularly well with Water Borne finishes. Synthetic bristle brushes can also be used.      After sanding, apply water to the wood with a rag. Just use enough to dampen the surface. The water will lift the wood fibers and you will see little "fuzzies". Lightly sand off the fuzzies. Wipe off sanding dust. This step will prevent the "fuzzies" from forming when you use the water-based stain.      Apply the 832-75 Water Borne Liquid Stain Base tinted to the desired color with universal tinting colors. Apply with a brush, foam applicator or rag. Water Borne stains differ from oil penetrating stains in that the water Borne stains dry more quickly. For this reason, it works better if relatively small areas be applied with the stain and then wiped off with a clean damp rag rather than applying the stain to a large area. For example, with a paneled door, do the small panels first, one at a time. Then do the horizontal and vertical pieces one at a time. If the stain is not deep enough in color, a second application will darken the color somewhat.      Let dry two hours. Note: Oil based stains are not recommended for use under water borne products. If the oil-based stains are not thoroughly dry, loss of adhesion, bubbling and development of white spots may occur. Oil based products should not be used in a water-based system.      Using a foam applicator or synthetic bristle brush, apply a coat of 832-74 Water Borne Sanding Sealer-Clear Satin. Allow to dry for one hour and sand lightly with fine sandpaper. Remove dust. On some woods, one coat of sanding sealer will be adequate. On open grain woods and for best results, use a second coat. Apply a second coat of 832-74 Water Borne Sanding Sealer-Clear Satin and dry for one hour. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper. Remove dust. For some uses, it is not necessary to apply a topcoat. If the second coat of sanding sealer is satisfactory for your purposes, leave as is; do not sand. A coat of wax polish can be applied after two weeks if desired.      If maximum protection or a specific gloss is desired, apply a top coat 830-29, Satin Water Borne Acrylic Urethane Clear, 830-28 Gloss Water Borne Acrylic Urethane Clear, 860-29 Clear Satin 100% Urethane Super Floor Finish or 860-66 Clear Gloss 100% Urethane Super Floor Finish with a foam applicator or synthetic bristle brush. Allow the finish to flow on; don't brush too much Generally, one finish coat is all you need. Allow to dry overnight before using.      Clean up equipment with detergent and water.      After the finish coat has aged for a few weeks, it may be maintained like any other finely finished wood: furniture polishes may be used, floors may be damp mopped but should not be wet mopped, and furniture and woodwork can be dusted. Use the creamy type polish on furniture and woodwork; do not use oils such as teak oil. When dusting, you can use dusting helpers such as Endust. Spills should be wiped up as soon as practical. Prolonged soaking with water may soften the finish. If this occurs, simply blot up the water and the finish will recover and harden back up.      If repairs are necessary due to burns, scrapes or gouges, the damaged area can be repaired and feathered in to blend in.      High humidity will slow the dry time of Water Borne products. Low humidity will speed the dry of Water Borne products. Do not apply Water Borne clears when the temperature is below 50ºF. All products should be stirred before and occasionally during use.

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