Hello,

I have just had my solid maple hardwood installed last month, and I decided to put a coat or two of polyurethane on it so it can protect the surface of the wood. I bought 2 cans of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane Semi-Gloss for the project.

Here is the picture for the product I bought at Home Depot:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8fAI ... ENUaE93cmc

I used a roller to apply (no it did not have any bubbles), the first coat turned out alright with some slight unevenness, so I applied the second coat. After the final coat, which is the third coat, the floor became like this

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8fAI ... XktbTlSRHM

The floor looks like it has 2 different shades. It's like I'm using two completely different products for the job. Though I did notice that the part of the floor that is a little bit more shiny, was from the second can because the first can was empty. However, from the picture, you can see that they are the exact same product and I don't think it will cause a significant difference like this one.


I don't really know what caused it. I made sure I sanded the surface lightly with 220 grit sandpaper before coating, and also I made sure the floor was clean and completely dry before recoating (I gave it 12 hours, the can said 8 hours recoating time). Also, I always stirred the can, not shook it, so bubbles wouldn't be introduced. What do you think is the reason for this???

Also, is there a way to fix besides sanding off and starting all over again? Should I wait more? I do learn that there is a curing time, but it has been 2 days and the floor still looked the same. I opened all the windows, turn on the fan and the ventilation for hours but didn't see any differences.

Please advice me of what I should do now. I am very depressed.

Thank you very much

Your floor came out with different gloss levels. You will need to coat the whole floor again. It is good practice to box different cans of finish so it will be mixed together. Pour both cans out to make sure that all the satining agent has been lifted off the bottom of the can. I recommend straining the final coat of finish, in case there may be lumps of satining agent that need to be suspended in the coat. I use gallon milk bottles with the top cut off, keeping the handle on. Since you already have multiple coats of finish down, I recommend waiting a few days to a week for this coating to start curing before applying the final coat. It don't hurt to put on many coats, but one thick layer that is put on without waiting for the first coats to cure a little will be susceptible to scuffing longer until it has cured all the way through. The finish cures from the top down. As the surface becomes harder it takes longer for the deeper uncured solvent to get through the hard surface, so a thick layer of finish will take much longer to completely cure.

Hello. Thank you so much for your response. However, what do u think is the chance of getting different gloss level on the same can? I've noticed some marks that was from the old can. Also, should i sand it with a 220grit again? I don't really wanna mess this up ;(

Thank you so much!!!

It would be easy to get different gloss levels from the same can if it is not mixed well. I often see where a mechanic uses finish out of a can and gets more satiny toward the end of the can. It's because it is not mixed well enough. Use sandpaper to scuff the finish before the final coat.