Tried that 'fast dry' poly from the hardware store and it ruined a table | Furniture Finishers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

Abby Fisher · 2026-03-24T23:50:05.553121+00:00

Honestly, I was in a rush last week and grabbed a can of that 'one hour recoat' polyurethane for a maple table top. Ngl, it looked fine at first but after a day it got all cloudy and stayed tacky. I wasted a whole weekend stripping it back down and lost about $80 on materials. Has anyone else had this happen with those quick dry formulas?

dianawilson7mo ago

That fast dry poly from Home Depot did the same thing to my oak floors.

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jennyfisher7mo ago

So it yellows the wood too?

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charlie1985mo ago

I used that Minwax fast dry poly on a cherry desk once. It stayed tacky for three days and picked up every speck of dust in the room. Had to sand it all off with 80 grit and start over with the old oil based stuff. Never again.

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dixon.david7mo ago

Heard they can trap moisture under the finish.

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