[BentheViking]

As an Ikea expert I would give you an A+ in terms of getting the Ikea look in design. I see what you mean about the streaks, but don't have an good advice for you. Good luck

And David his name is Ingvar Kamprad. And there is a website called Ikea Hackers dedicated to people who use Ikea products as the basis for their own creations. Its not quite woodworking in the sense of what most of us do, but it certainly has its place.

 

[TimK43]

Wow Ben, you do sound like an Ikea expert!!! Several years ago, when my daughter moved into her own apartment, I got pretty upset because she wanted ALL of her furniture to come from Ikea. I kept asking her if I could make her furniture because it would last her a lifetime but she said NO!!!! I ended up giving her $500.00 to buy her Ikea stuff and it broke my heart!!!!!!

 

[DMIHOMECENTER]

@Bentheviking, I knew his name and his story but wanted to make it less personal as I had him one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel… but personally I am not a fan of the style or the construction. It does have its place, just not at my humble abode thankyouverymuch. I would not copy that as isle 23 at Lowe's is one of my least favorite (closet maid shelving and melamine things).

Frameless cabinetry is too clinical for my tastes. I can barely stand the euro faced cabs, but that's me. However, the ultra-modern spartan and/or george jetson look is economical and serves a purpose. I get to rip some out and replace it every now and then ;=)

I do like dakremer's little table, though. It is simple and elegant in a way. It does not look like melamine or laminate. It does not have cheesy leveling feet that I can see.

I do like painted things as well as stained.

 

[dakremer]

no leveling feet here!

 

[thiel]

I've done this exact job (wipe on poly over flat latex) and I had the same issue. Turns out I was using too much pressure when wiping on. My can of Arm-R-Seal specifically warns against this (and even mentions the streaks) ... which I only discovered after I'd encountered the problem.

I rubbed out the finish and then reapplied and it seemed fine.

Good luck!

 

[Cosmicsniper]

You don't need dye. Any colorant with the same solvent can be mixed in the poly. Like I said, I've used Minwax Ebony oil stain to accomplish the same thing. If I recall, it's actually both a stain AND a dye. Doesn't matter though…any pigment will be suspended in the poly.

3 parts poly: 1 part Ebony stain should do the trick. Wipe on two or three coats to correct the streaks and then apply a couple of more coats of clear poly to finish. It will be black and it will be plasticky.

Just test on another board…which is something you should always do before starting, especially for wipe-on applications.

 

[dakremer]

Thanks Cosmic. I think I will try that tomorrow. Unfortunately this project is being given to my fiance on Wednesday…..so….running out of time. haha. I'll try one coat on a scrap piece and see what it does, and go from there!

 

[DMIHOMECENTER]

In most cases, I would say tim is 100% right in saying to scuff the poly, but with this paint… if it's smooth then paint it. It is self-priming and will stick well. This is also what I used on the back of the 3/8" float glass in the scary sharp meets gorilla glue project. It sticks to slick, perfectly flat glass ! It will cling to the poly.

As Ozzie was once accused of saying subliminally: "Shoot, shoot, shoot".

 

[BobTheFish]

well, regarding sanding poly, you should check out this concurrent topic as well: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/29042

oh yeah. Minwax stains are also finishes. They most definitely have a finishing component to them. I know by experience. So that's a dye, a stain, and a finish all in one.

I'd STILL recommend the spray finish for your final coat. Brushing and rubbing just don't give the same even glossy finish you get with sprays.

 

[rusty2010]

I commend you on your efforts. What you're trying to achieve is extremely difficult when finishing by hand. The technique is called French Polishing and it takes time to master. The quick and easy system is to spray. I've used black shoe polish to restore black pieces and to age finishes. Keep at it, you're still learning

 

[489tad]

A while back I did a few refinishing projects to black and most recent a piano bench. What worked for me, paint, wet sand and paint, wet sand….. till smooth. Then brush on poly and wet sand again and again till smooth then I sprayed, (can) the final coat. I didn't read all the replies so I hope this helps. Oh, try to do it the most dust free area you can create. I hope this helps.

 

[DMIHOMECENTER]

Whatever you did, I hope it went well for you.

 

[dakremer]

hey David. I decided to go with Cosmic's idea of putting Minwax ebony stain in with poly. Mixed 1:4 poly. I applied it earlier tonight. Tomorrow I will see how it looks and try buffing the finish out. I will post pictures so people following/participating in this thread can see what happened. The streaking has definitely gone away. And I think that is due to multiple coats of poly (3) and then the final coat of poly/ebony stain. But now I see scratches and other things wrong with it. The table FEELS smooth as a baby's butt, but after inspecting the table over and over and over again, I think I had multiple problems. One, i think the paint and the poly definitely were not compatible - causing streaks in the paint. But I think I also did not sand it well enough as I can see scratches through the finish. I'm not sure if those scratches are on the wood itself, or from sanding the poly and not properly removing the dust. I think a lot of dust got into the finish, etc, etc, etc. There seems to be tons of problems with it. You guys have helped A TON, and I am definitely a more knowledgable person because of it. As of now, I'm just trying to make it presentable!! haha. I dont want to give a piece of crap as a gift. I'd rather just go buy her something then giver her something I made that is horrible. I bought some automotive rubbing and polishing compound today. Hopefully that'll take some of the scratches out (if its scratches in the poly and not in the wood itself). We'll see. Either way I'll post pictures. The good new is, is that it is DEFINITELY better than that first picture i posted

 

[DMIHOMECENTER]

Good luck.

FYI New stuff I will review soon: http://glidden.com/collections/a2/83/view-product.do?retailer=all

It has the consistency of Gojo. No brush marks. Dries flat to half of the wet mil thickness.

 

[dakremer]

i just watched the video! very interesting. I'm looking forward to how it actually worked out for you! Hope you have some good pics!

 

[TimK43]

Just saw the post of your night stand. Very nice!!! Did it come out like you wanted it to? What method did you use to fix the finish!!! What was her reaction? Congrats on a job well done!!!! Hopefully she realizes how lucky she is to have someone that will put out this much effort for her!!!!!!!

 

[Jim Jakosh]

Hi Doug, I sent in a comment on this but I don't see it. Anyway, I suggested to use poly thinned with naphtha. It makes it dry faster to eliminate dust and it lets it level better in the process. I used that on the last tables I made. I poured the wipe on poly in a cup and added about 1/8 naphtha and used a foam brush to apply it.

...........Jim

 

[dakremer]

Hey Jim. Yeah I got your comment earlier I think. I will keep that in mind for my next project I use poly on…..Even though I think my next project I'll try and us Lacquer for the first time.

Tim. It came out pretty nice. The streaks are completely gone. I used Cosmic's idea of mixing some Minwax Ebony stain in with the poly. I added two more coats of it like this, which completely hid the streaking. I then buffed and polished it with some automotive products. I definitely saved the finish. However after it was all polished out, i noticed little scratches everywhere in the finish. I dont know if those scratches were way down in the wood (maybe I didnt sand it properly)....or in the finish. Oh well. It turned out pretty good! my fiance loved it! Thanks a ton for your help!!

There's just so many things that can go wrong when trying to get that "glass like" finish. Its a learning experience, and I definitely learned A LOT!! Next time I feel will be much much better/easier