How to apply varnish to a benchtop?

Question

I renovated my laundry last year and used the laminated beech timber panel from Bunnings for my benchtop….did it all from scratch and coated it with Cabot’s clear poly….anyway long story short I had to sand back once I’d installed the tap as had some minor damage when cutting the hole for my tap 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve decided to replace the tap now so thought I’d remove the sink and redo the benchtop again….so I sanded back with 240 grit sandpaper using an orbital sander  and then recoated with the Cabot’s poly again (new tin) but not I have patches where this is happening? Any idea why? I keep resending it back but it happens each time 🤯😫

melro · Answer

Ooh thank you!! That actually makes a lot of sense and I hadn’t considered that! Will definitely be more aware of that going forward

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @melro,

I thought I'd also add my experience. As you'd know, this product is opaque and goes on a milky colour. All of the areas in your photo that are still milky appear to be lower, indicating that the bench top is not perfectly flat. You can see where the product is sitting in the rough grain of the timber. These lower sections hold a thicker amount of the product and have not fully cured, unlike the flat section that would have only got a thin coat. I'd recommend you leave the bench for another few days, and I think you'll see things improve.

It's likely a combination of what @EricL has suggested with the humidity and that there is more product in these areas. The point of my comment is that I just wanted to point out that unless you sand the bench perfectly flat, you'll likely experience the same issue again. My recommendation would be to do several thin coats after sanding and not a couple of thick coats. I always get the milky look when I lay on too much product.

Please keep us updated on your project and reach out if you need further assistance.

Mitchell

melro · Answer

Thank you! I’ll give that a try ☺️