# Minwax Wipe-On Poly For Dining Chairs?



## mikebal (Mar 3, 2008)

My wife bought six parawood chairs from the unfinished furniture place. I have them sealed with Zinnser SealCoat and I'm thinking to use Minwax Wipe-On Poly for the final finish. Does anyone have experience with this product? The parawood is very light and I'm hoping that the solvent based poly will darken it slightly. I have three small children so our furniture really takes a beating. Will the wipe-on product hold up to abuse? Any thoughts on satin vs gloss? I'm thinking that gloss will be easier to clean and we do a lot of that. Thanks in advance, Mike


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## Knot Home (Feb 14, 2008)

I don't have any long-term experience with it, but I used it recently to finish a top on a TV stand. It went on excellent and produced a very nice finish. I followed the directions on the can. Make sure you remember to shake it up between coats (bubbles break almost immediately; it's very thin). I applied five coats with at least 3 hours between each coat. I used packaged t-shirt rags to wipe it on with, wearing vinyl gloves. Also used steel wool (0000) between coats and took the steel dust off with a horsehair brush followed by a light wipe with a clean commercial tack cloth.

I would expect it to hold up at least as well as other polyurethane finishes, and perhaps a bit better due to the thin coats. I am really impressed by how flawless the finish is. The rest of the stand was finished with a wipe-on varnish (Formby's) and the poly finish is as good or better.


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## Rob (Oct 31, 2006)

I don't think the poly will darken the chairs much. I peobably would have started with boiled linseed oil and that would have darkened them some.
I haven't used the Minwax product but make my own and you'll enjoy the ease of application. Don't get too fussy with the application. If you miss a spot, catch it next time. Poly doesn't burn into itself like shellac or lacquer so each coat you put on will actually be another coat. The more you apply, the thicker the finish and the better the protection.
Usually the higher gloss products are more durable. When I use it, I put on 3 coats, scuff it, 3 more scuff it, etc.


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## mikebal (Mar 3, 2008)

That's what I was thinking regarding the sheen. I think I'll go with the gloss finish. I'm looking to get a slight yellowish-orange shellac color to match our table but I need to be sure the product will not cause a problem with the poly topcoat. My wife likes the chairs as is.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I also mix my own. But, I don't shake. Stirring works best for me. What you may try on some samples is a slight tint to the poly to get the shade you want. You also could mix satin and gloss together.


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## BopCord (Mar 8, 2008)

I just finished four unfinished bar chairs. I used general water stain -love this this stuff, then I finished with minwax wipe-on poly (gloss) after first coat I sanded with 220 then recoated. We only wanted a thin finish--it came out very nice, smooth and perfect for refinishing after a couple of years of kids. Really like wipe-on poly!


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