Newbie – Black Walnut Live Edge Round Finishing Questions
Hello…I am a newbie have been having an issue.
I have received some beautiful Black Walnut live edge cross section rounds. I sanded with 80, 150 and 220 orbital sander and removed dust with air compressor. I stained with Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating Stain in Natural and allowed to dry for 24 hours (directions say topcoat 4-6 hours depending on color).
I then did a coat of Minwax Fast Drying Clear Satin Oil-Based Polyurethane. I did that coat on Sunday morning and it is now Wednesday morning and it still feels tacky. We had beautiful weather on Sunday in the 70’s with lower humidity. I orginally had it in our shop to dry but since it seemed tacky yet on Monday we moved it to our 60F basement where we have a dehumidifer running 24/7. No it not humid down there at all right now.
I am worried that the poly will not dry and I will need to strip the top and start over. Looking for suggestions and recommendations!
Note:
The live edge was also stained and poly’d too but has dried with no problems. It is the darker hardwood that is still tacky.
The picture is not mine but is what I am looking to achieve. The table will be outside on a covered porch out of the elements (small amount of sun but no rain or snow).
Replies
How long was the slab drying before you started to finish it? Seems like it wasn't dried enough.
We are not 100% sure but more than 2 years. The person who owned the log passed away. The new owner of property gave us the logs as we burn wood. We didn't realize until we sawed into it that it was Black Walnut. I gave a section to a friend, who took it to his house to saw into the thinner sections I needed for the table. His dad owns a cut and dry business and when his dad cut the log he said it was more than dry enough to work with.
The end grain probably absorbed way more finish than the instructions on the can (written for long grain applications) anticipate. The stain was probably not close to dry when you applied the surface film coat, sealing the still damp stain inside. The solvents from inside are keeping the film coat from curing is my thought.
So if I were to strip the top and restain, how long should I wait before doing the first coat of poly?
Not trying to change your whole project, but here are a few thoughts. Do you really need any stain? The natural wood is lovely on its own. Also, as long as you are most likely going to strip it off, you may want to rethink the polyurethane choice. If its going to be outside, you need something that wont crack in sunlight. Have you thought about Tung oil? If not, do some research. It will darken the wood so you don't need stain and it will stand up to the elements if it is applied and cured correctly. Just my 2 cents.
I would just put it where it is going to live and revisit it in a month. The stain and finish is not on the wood, it's IN the wood. Just put it on the porch and enjoy it.
If the log was dried two years as a log and then cut in slices prior to be used, it is likely still above 20% relative humidity.
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