Forum topic by Goodsh | posted 03-28-2018 02:12 AM | 2004 views | 0 times favorited | 12 replies | ![]() |
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03-28-2018 02:12 AM |
Topic tags/keywords: walnut finish finishing Update: With pictures. I put pictures in and they showed up when I did a preview but the actual post cut them out and cut off half of my message. Trying again… Any thoughts on what is causing this? Walnut coffee table finished with arm r seal. I did several coats to build up the finish and then rubbed it out with wet sandpaper and steel wool to a smooth finish. It did not have these spots after I was done. They’ve slowly developed over the last year. The table does get a little beaten up by the kids (along with pretty much everything else in the house…) so maybe they’ve worn through the finish by climbing on it and playing with toys on it. Thoughts on how to fix? Can I just add more coats on top? Should I just do these spots or the whole thing? |
12 replies so far
#1 posted 03-28-2018 12:14 PM |
Pictures would help. No idea what you’re describing. |
#2 posted 03-28-2018 01:24 PM |
I did have pictures in there. Not sure what happened. Will repost |
#3 posted 03-28-2018 01:31 PM |
Adding more finish will not solve the problem. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like the finish is indeed wearing away in those spots, though I’m skeptical of that as an explanation because I don’t see scratches or what I’d expect to see if it were wearing away due to use. It could be the angle and the light that’s preventing me from seeing those. Arm-R-Seal is not a finish you can just seamlessly blend the new with the old, unfortunately. It builds up in distinct, separate layers, unlike something like lacquer which is pretty homogeneous throughout and can thus be repaired quite easily. |
#4 posted 03-28-2018 01:46 PM |
I looked back at your original post of the project and you mentioned rubbing the finish out too much causing discoloration along with “soapy” spots that required “heavy sanding”. Are these the same spots? Maybe those spots are just a lot thinner than the rest and have worn quicker?? Nice looking table, though. |
#5 posted 03-28-2018 01:50 PM |
Is that wear from the top down through the clear coat? It looks more like haze from beneath the finish in those pics. -- "You know, I'm such a great driver, it's incomprehensible that they took my license away." --Vince Ricardo |
#6 posted 03-28-2018 05:04 PM |
To see if it’s on the surface or beneath the surface, wipe the table top down with mineral spirits. If the problem areas go away until the MS dries, you’ll know all you need to do is coat it with finish (poly or whatever). |
#7 posted 03-28-2018 05:12 PM |
No, Arm-R-Seal definitely is a finish. Read Jonah’s complete sentence. He didn’t say it’s not a finish, he said it’s not a finish that will blend easily with existing layers, like lacquer and shellac. It can be done, but it will take a lot of know how. -- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner |
#8 posted 03-28-2018 05:17 PM |
I have a couple of desks with large tops that are finished with Arm-R-Seal. The only time I’ve seen light discoloring like this on walnut was when I didn’t get all of the glue wiped off and sanded out before I started applying Arm-R-Seal. Any chance you got something on the raw wood that sealed it off in those places? Still, I would expect to see that kind of discoloration immediately, not after a year. -- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected" |
#9 posted 03-28-2018 05:21 PM |
I edited right after submitting. I wasn’t thinking about their top coat. |
#10 posted 03-31-2018 01:48 AM |
Thanks for the responses. I don’t recall if it’s he same spots that were cloudy when I first finished it. Too long ago. A couple questions:
What would cause haze from below?
Hmmm… I have limited know how. Would sanding and doing new coats over the whole thing work or do I need to fully strip it down. When I look closely and run my hand on it it doesn’t look or feel like he finish is rubbed through but maybe I just don’t know what to look for. |
#11 posted 03-31-2018 01:49 AM |
I have a couple of desks with large tops that are finished with Arm-R-Seal. The only time I ve seen light discoloring like this on walnut was when I didn t get all of the glue wiped off and sanded out before I started applying Arm-R-Seal. Any chance you got something on the raw wood that sealed it off in those places? Still, I would expect to see that kind of discoloration immediately, not after a year. I can’t think of anything. It’s nowhere near a glue line and I can’t think of what else would have gotten on it. |
#12 posted 03-31-2018 04:16 PM |
Hard to see the quality or porosity of surface finish? One observation: On a flat sawn board like that one shown, it is possible to have scalloping or dishing into the softer wood; especially when using ROS. This makes for uneven top coat thickness, and maybe even spots near rings/ridges with limited top coat that could allow contamination to penetrate under finish. If you used a sanding sealer under the ArmRSeal, then the staining could be non-uniformity in sanding sealer that has become apparent thanks to changes in moisture. Is there any indication that surface was scraped, damaged, or has exposed grain? The color change appears to almost be bleached. Is there open grain showing around the stained areas, where some cleaning agent has permeated to wood? Best Luck! -- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967 |
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