Gel polyurethane?

porkchop_z5b_MI

last year

Any used this and care to share your comments on it? Looking at the Old Masters gel poly.

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John Liu

last year

last modified: last year

I found Emmets when I was looking for the most 1) stain resistant, 2) repairable, and 3) *food safe* finish for butcher block counters that would have food on them and might occasionally get cut on by a well-meaning guest, so that I’d need to sand and refinish just one spot without problems of blending in. I tested some different finishes and Emmets came out on top, followed by Osmo Polyx which is a hard wax and also food safe.

I’m using it on my floor because I’m sanding, repairing, and refinishing it in sections, so while the food safe is not important, the repairability is.

For your door application, neither food safety nor spot repairability seems important, so maybe I shouldn’t have recommended Emmets so quickly. I’m sure it will be good, but I can’t say if it’s the best.

I used some MinWax Crystal Clear Wipe-On Polyurethane on my cabinets (unfinished maple) as a quick way to protect them pending deciding on a more robust finish - and that seems to be perfectly fine. That stuff is spot repairable too but I don’t know if it will hold up to heavier wear.

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Comments (13)

PRO
Minardi
last year
Stick with standard gel stains with a top coat. That's difficult enough to make look good as is.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Minardi
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
^^ I'm not using a gel stain. Just curious about the gel poly top coat.
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
What are you trying to accomplish? I’ve used it successfully to tone something like a threshold but any lap marks become problematic so I find it unusable on large areas. We used some water based as a glaze for faux graining our historic house in Maine.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked HALLETT & Co.
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
Top coat for interior doors (stained).
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
So you have existing finished doors and you are trying to change the color?
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked HALLETT & Co.
John Liu
last year
I am using Emmett’s Good Stuff wipe-on gel urethane on wood counters and hardwood floor. Easy to apply, very good stain resistance, can do spot repairs that blend in.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked John Liu
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
"So you have existing finished doors and you are trying to change the color?"

No. New doors being made that will be stained. I want to play around with a new topcoat, I'm not entirely pleased with the water-based topcoat I used on the last set of doors.

This is the product that has piqued my interest: Gel Topcoat: Oil Based Urethane | General Finishes.

Never heard of the Emmett's -- I'll have to check it out.
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
Nah, the doors will be light use, I can't imagine needing to repair -- not near a window where rain might get on them, but still should coat with something. The reason I didn't particularly care for what I used on the other doors is when the light hits them I can see a very faint blue-ish cast and the finish looks kinda flat and lifeless. From what I've read this won't happen with an oil-based topcoat. But I have to play around and see for myself, I'm still in the very early beginner stages of wood finishing, it's all a learning process...
PRO
Minardi
last year
Matte-satin finishes look duller and obscure the grain more because they have flatteners in them, suspended in the matrix. You have to be sure to mix thoroughly before applying, so that the flatteners are evenly dispersed. If you use the high gloss as your first coats, and reserve the matte for the top coat, you will achieve more depth, better build, and better durability.

Gel anything is not the best choice for a finish. Nor is it "easier" to apply. The best finishes are always sprayed.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Minardi
dan1888
last year
Matt uses General oil-based finishes.
porkchop_z5b_MI thanked dan1888
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
^^ Thanks for posting the video. The Arm R Seal looks pretty good.
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
last year
Update: I played around with some sample boards, stained then top-coated with the Arm-R-Seal, 3 coats. Beautiful finish with the A-R-S, and super-easy to work with. Much easier to use and much better results than the water-based poly I used on my other set of doors, and no weird faint blue hue to it in natural light, like the water-based. The oil-based really makes the wood look lustrous instead of kind of plastic-y. So I think I'll stick with the A-R-S.