Beginner finishing question

Hi all,

I have what I’m hoping is a very simple question to respond to. I completed my first proper furniture build a few months back - a walnut coffee table. I decided to finish it with Osmo PolyX in a matte finish as I understood it to be hard wearing. I filled the grain with a paste made from fine sawdust and the Osmo to remove any open pores and proceeded to out 3-4 coats on the table top. I followed an instructional from a recent FWW article.

The finish turned out great, but now to my horror - even the slightest amount of moisture leaves terrible clouded marks!!! It’s not super obvious, but is visible from certain angles when I look along the top.

What have I done wrong? What’s best to fix it? Strip back and start again?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As it’s my first proper build, the table has a special place in my heart, despite some of its flaws.

Hi jw,

That sounds very strange. PolyX is usually very protective. I suggest you drop a line to the Osmo distributor in Australia http://www.osmoaustralia.com.au/ They should be able to help. I’d be very grateful if you could keep us posted of what you find.

Thanks and good luck!

Brian

Good idea Brian. I’ve sent an email off.

I was of the understanding that a wipe on poly would be perfect to counteract those accidental spills and provide a robust finish. It’s quite disappointing, especially when I did hours of research on application before applying the stuff. Perhaps user error on my part being new to this stuff.

jw,

You’re spot on that a wipe on poly would be good for accidental spills. Osmo PolyX, though, is not a poly(urethane) but a blend of hard wax and oils - a very different animal. I still would have expected it to resist the odd spill, though.

Brian

Ah! Right you are, Brian. Notwithstanding, and as you say, I expected a bit more resilience. I’ll wait to see what Osmo says. I’ll keep you posted when I get a response from them.

What did you sand the timber to and what was your finishing process?

G'day Hurcorh, timber was sanded to 600 in raw state. Applied first coat of oil and let soak for 15 mins or so (as per directons on tin), then sanded while still wet to get a paste going to fill the grain. This worked OK, but not as I had hoped so i let dry, sanded from 240-600 and wiped on a new layer of oil, though this time it was combined with saw dust to create a paste and worked into the grain. I let that dry and sanded (with random orbital sander to 400 grit, then by hand to 600 grit. The grain filled well at this point, so I applied 3 more coats with 1-2 day drying times between coats. I also sanded lightly between coats with 600 and 800 grit to get as smooth as I could. Cheers.

For what it's worth, try sanding the wood to 600, then add the oil and sand through to 1500-2000. Use the ROS all the way. This should seal the oil into the boards. WIpe down with a cotton cloth and see how that goes. Just a suggestion.

Regards,

Rob

I sand no further than 180, use the osmo roller to apply a very thin coat. After 24 hrs, buff in another coat with a white abrasive pad and remove excess. After allowing to cure for a week it is very durable.