Polyurethane went cloudy on my table after a humid weekend, what gives

I spent last week putting polyurethane on a cherry wood table I made. The first coat looked perfect, nice and clear. But when I put on the second coat, it dried all milky and cloudy. I did it on a Saturday when it was super muggy outside, maybe 85% humidity in my garage. Now the whole finish looks messed up, and I have to sand it back to bare wood. This is the third time this has happened to me with poly in the summer. Do you guys just not work with finishes when it's humid? I heard about adding a retarder or something, but I'm not sure. What's your go-to fix for this, or do you switch to a different finish when the weather acts up?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.karen19d ago

Whoa, you did this THREE times?!

grantb9219d ago

Ever get stuck in a loop like that? Change one small thing on your next try, it can break the pattern. That usually works because it forces a different outcome.

margaretc5910d ago

Tell me about it, felt pretty silly after the third go. Always seems obvious once you break it.

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