Wood countertops will need 2 to 3 coats of Polyurethane. It’s preferable to not use more than 4 coats, with no sanding before the last coat.
Polyurethane is a type of industrial varnish that is used in wood finishes and polishing, whether in countertops, furniture, floors and other woodwork. Corrosive, not expensive, easy to use and available.
Polyurethane is manufactured from two components of the finest types of resins, in addition to some special additives that give gloss, which makes it characterized by hardness, flexibility and high ability to resist surrounding factors.
How Many Coats of Polyurethane on Wood Countertops
For wood countertops, you will need 2 coats of polyurethane. You will need to sand your wood countertop before the first coat, and sand it once again before the second coat of polyurethane.
If you want to get extra durability and glossiness, you can apply a third layer or even a fourth layer, but the last layer does not need to be sanded before it. Also is not recommended that the polyurethane coats exceed four coats.
How to Coat Wood Countertops with Polyurethane ?
- The first step in the process of coating wood countertops with polyurethane is to properly ventilate your kitchen and open the windows and doors if any, as polyurethane produces harsh fumes when used.
- It is best cover the kitchen floor with newspapers, towels or old fabrics, as it is difficult to clean polyurethane when it reaches the ground.
- Before you start working on the wooden countertop, it must be sanded, whether the wood is unfinished or has an old finish. The sanding is done to get rid of any dust or dirt, which helps to improve the adhesion of the polyurethane. The sanding is done using sandpaper size 320.
- To get rid of any remaining dust or any small wood particles resulting from sanding, a clean, lint-free cloth is used, which is a necessary cleaning process after any sanding process of wood.
- Bring the polyurethane can and stir its components, then open the can and gently start mixing the ingredients slowly, this is done using a paint stick, and be careful not to stir vigorously, as strong stirring leads to the entry of air bubbles into the can and leads to Paint damage.
- Take a paint brush and dip it in the polyurethane and get rid of the excess on the brush at the edge of the can. Usually it is better to use a stiff brush for polyurethane paint, but this does not prevent you from using other types of paint brushes.
- Using the paint brush, start applying the first layer of polyurethane to polish the wood countertop, and the process is done gently, taking into account not to drop the paint points away from the surface of the countertop.
- Never apply a new layer of paint before the previous layer has completely dried, as in this case the painting process does not lead to the desired result. Therefore, a new layer of paint should not be applied before at least 24 hours have passed.
- After the first layer of paint dries, do another sanding to get rid of any residues with the same type of sandpaper, and clean it with a clean piece of cloth to get rid of any residue resulting from sanding, and in the same way as before, apply the second layer of paint.
- If you want to get extra durability and glossiness, you can apply a third layer, but this layer does not need to be sanded before it or even a fourth layer, but the important thing is that the last layer is not sanded before it and it is not recommended that the polyurethane layers exceed four layers.
What Are the Cons of Polyurethane ?
Polyurethane is commonly used in a wide range of applications in modern life. Some of its applications include building insulation, furniture, bedding, footwear, automobiles, paint and adhesives. It is used in many versatile applications due to its ease of implementation. Despite this advantage, polyurethane has some disadvantages:
Polyurethane Durability
Short life is the main disadvantage of polyurethane products. Polyurethane has hydroscopic tendencies, that is, water-absorbing properties. Polyurethane coated countertops and due to the nature of their functionality, with a sink inside them, gradually degrade and lose the quality of their support.
In addition, the durability of polyurethane paints is negatively affected when exposed to direct sunlight or organic solvents, so there are not functional in outdoor countertops.
Polyurethane Can Cause Health Problems
Polyurethane is widely used in many applications such as your wood countertop, building insulation, footwear and paints. ESP Energy research has shown that polyurethane releases toxic fumes that are unhealthy for inhalation.
People who are exposed to polyurethane for long periods have health problems including allergic reactions, rashes, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness and even blindness. If your eyes or skin come into contact with polyurethane foam, clean and rinse them well to avoid health problems.
