Something as simple as varnish, what am I doing wrong?

Hi Forum, I'm a computer nerd who likes to play with wood and finishes on the weekend - but so far I'm doing a terrible job of it.
I've purchased a Pine study desk for my son's room and have painted part of it and varnished the rest of it.
My problem is that no matter how many times I give it a light sanding (until smooth) then re-varnish, the finish feels rough to touch.
I've coated the pine in a dust free area but am still having problems. Is there a trick to make my furniture feel like it's come from a professional factory?
A friend suggested a light rub with wet&dry - this only takes off the last layer of varnish. Any other ideas? Do I need to buff it or apply a wax finisher?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Regards,
Gee

Welcome Gee :)

I assume you're using a Wattyl or Feast Watson hardware store polyurethane? I've had more luck with Feast Watson than with Wattyl, but it's tough to get a nice finish with brushed poly, especially on a flat surface like a table top.

If it's brush marks you're feeling you should be able to see the light reflecting off them at the right angle. Brush marks are tough to eliminate - but I've had good success using Feast Watson satin poly, using a very good brush (as in $20 plus), taking long careful strokes, working out the brush marks while it's wet. It helps to thin gloss poly a little, but it's tough to eliminate brush marks on gloss.

If it's dust, there's a few possibilities. Make sure the surfaces are all completely clean to start with - dust free area like you said, cleaning it down with a dust attracting cloth (one of those swiffer things works well), and making sure your brush is clean. If you still get dust in it, it is quite possible to build a few coats, sanding lightly & cleaning between them (you want at least 4 coats on bare wood), then knock off the dust with a light sanding with wet & dry, then buff with auto cut & polish. Give it at least a week to cure before you buff it.

The other possibility would be to hit the final surface with 0000 steel wool and a furniture wax (Carnauba), but I wouldn't recommend that on a kid's desk top.

Also, with your work area, clean it down first (as in sweep/blow out all the dust/sawdust etc), then leave everything to settle for an hour or two, then work WITHOUT any fans on, breeze blowing through etc. Once you have the coat of finish on, leave the workshop closed up with no air movement (as in go have lunch or something) for at least an hour or two. I try to arrange it so I do my finishing at the end of the day and leave it to dry overnight.

Good luck!

Hi Gee,

Just a couple of thoughts from my own limited experience. Feast & Watson Satinproof seems to be a bit more forgiving than a gloss finish. Also, try to apply the finish when it is cool (a bit hard in Adelaide at the moment). I've found that when I am putting the finish on in hot weather, it starts to harden fairly quickly. When you overlap your brush marks, you tend to "brush in" to the partly dry finish, making it rough. This is more of a problem on large jobs like your desk.

Hope this is helps,

Matt

Gee
A question, when you say 'rough' do you mean rough as in 'sandpaper like' or rough as in bumpy.
I did manage to apply satin poly last week in the heat on a top surface, BUT only by working first thing in the morning, using a wetter than normal brush and very long brush strokes - still wasn't perfect. I can see one line of brush stroke joins if I really look for them. Interestingly, they are at the end I did last when the shed was getting warmer.
Mornings are much better than evenings - the surface will be cooler.
Oh to be able to use the spray gun - I just don't have anywhere now.
Cheers