Raised panel wainscotting up the stairs at 39.6° angle. Dry fit had
excellent joints at stile/rail point. Decided to finish outside rather than
risk mucking up the house (I think this was a BAD idea, but SWMBO though
otherwise.) Maple stain to make the QSWO match the red oak flooring and
stair components went on first, followed by three coats of minwax gloss with
light 220 between coats. Regular poly, not wipe-on. Now I have somewhat
noticeable (1/16") gaps at the stile/rail points. The 16oz hammer didn't
help, and I don't think the 2 pounder will do any better. I think the three
coats of poly on the rails is causing the problem.
It would be a bit of effort (well, a huge effort) to disassemble the panels
and sand down the contact areas.
Do y'all think that 3 coats of minwax gloss would cause this gap? Any other
ideas?
FWIW, If I EVER do this again, I will either finish after assembly or refuse
to take part in the task.
--
Jim Murphy,
"Jim Murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Raised panel wainscotting up the stairs at 39.6° angle. Dry fit had
> excellent joints at stile/rail point. Decided to finish outside rather than
> risk mucking up the house (I think this was a BAD idea, but SWMBO though
Just a thought...
How long was it outside? Was it humid?
(Get where I'm going here?)
J
DJ Delorie <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> If you assume poly leaves a 3 mil thick finish per coat (a little
> thinner than regular paper), at 39 degrees and three coats on both
> sides, that's 0.028" (about a third of 1/16) offset due to poly.
>
> Even at 1 mil per coat that would add up to 1/16 over 9 seams.
>
Is it possible that the coating has built up at the edge? There is a
technical term for this which escapes me right now, but this seems not
unusual in my experience with enamel paint for finish carpentry in a house.
Surface tension would tend to keep it from running around/over the edge.
Try a sample, and see if you can tell if this is an artifact of the self-
leveling nature of these coatings.
Patriarch