# Poly Before Glue Up?



## dbnewton (Feb 10, 2019)

I normally complete all my glue up before applying any finish. This leads to spots where the glue seeps out that are hard to sand (corners and such). The finish (typically polyurethane) doesn't absorb and the spots show.

On the other hand, I have in the past tried to glue to surfaces that have poly and the glue (Tidebond II) does not stick at all.

So I tried something different on my current project. I dry fit everything and applied one coat of poly very carefully trying to avoid any seepage into joints that I need to glue. Then when the poly dried I disassembled and inspected the joint surfaces for any poly that might have leaked in. The joints were tight enough that there was no significant leakage. I then glued all the joints. 

I was able to easily wipe off all the glue that seeped leaving none of those ugly spots. The joints don't appear to have suffered.

Anyone else use this strategy?


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

In some cases I tape off the joint, do the finish, then pull the tape off. Like this I did a few weeks ago where the inside would be impossible to do a French polish, so I finished the inside and then glued the pieces together. One joint is already glued but it was easy to control squeeze out.









David


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