High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 Pint, Satin

Outstanding. Easy to apply, water cleanup, and flawless finish. I put 4 coats on an old butcher block style table after staining ebony (oil base) and made a silk purse of a sow's ear.

Very nice product. I ordered this well in advance of my project, but it didn't separate. Easy to apply (I used a sponge applicator) and three coats produced a really nice satin finish. Almost no odor even though I applied this indoors. Highly recommended!

This is a notably good water-based polyurethane finish. I was introduced to this by a neighbor who asked me to spray (HVLP) their new cabinet doors. I was impressed with how well it flowed and leveled out, and as a long-time user of oil-based poly, the other advantages of water-based poly: virtually no smell, remarkably easy to clean, fast dry/sand/recoat. So I got this for myself and have used it to finish trim, shelves, and plywood that we installed on our garage walls. I've applied it by brush, roller, and spray, and all of these work great for their appropriate applications. Compared to water-based polyurethanes from other manufacturers that I've used, this one is clearly superior. It covers better, leaves a nicer finish, has a good flow, and levels exceptionally well. This is more expensive than some others, but I think a better value. It's very easy to work with, builds well, and the finish seems to be more durable than similar products (although I have not subjected it to difficult conditions). And my orders have arrived _well packed_ and quickly.

This has become the only topcoat I use. The self-leveling properties and coverage are outstanding and unmatched by anything else I’ve tried. I’ve tested other products but always come back to General Finishes. While it does cost more than some alternatives, the durability, quality, and ease of use make it well worth it and greatly improve my finished projects.

To cut right to the chase: I am extremely pleased with the results I achieved with this product. I am an experienced "hobbyist" woodworker but still get apprehensive with the finishing stage of a project. The GF finish allowed me to achieve my goals: a satin finish on a maple cabinet top with no yellowing or color change. The cabinet top is a glued-up maple panel approximately 55" x 15". I sanded it to 320 with a Bosch random orbit sander prior to applying any finish. I cleaned up the sawdust after sanding and between coats of finish with a tack cloth. I sanded and finished BOTH the top and bottom of the panel. I did not count the number of coats, but three was not enough. I am guessing I stopped at eight coats. For the first half-dozen coats I used the finish straight out of the can, after mixing thoroughly (required to get the satin particles off the bottom of the can, I would say 5 to 7 minutes of stirring with a small paint stick). The last couple coats I thinned the finish quite substantially after pouring the needed amount into a small paint pail. Since the finish in the can is of a milky consistency let me use a milk analogy: think of what's in the can as the consistency of the half-and-half you put in your coffee. My last couple coats were the consistency of skim milk with a little water added. I found that the thinner final coats allowed the brush marks to relax quite a bit more than in the thicker coats. I would recommend thinning for the final coats; if I was doing it over again I would probably use the out-of-the-can consistency only for maybe ther first two or three coats and then start thinning from there. I used a good "traditional" paintbrush, a Purdy Nylox "Dale" model (soft bristle) with a beveledf tip, 2-1/2" wide. GF recommends a foam brush. I can't comment on this as I did not try it, but for sure the brush marks were my biggest issue. This is why I attempted the thinning (successfully, as it turned out) described above. I am not a fan of foam brushes but would have tried one had the thinning not worked. I sanded between coats using successively finer grits. 320 on the first couple coats, then 400, then 600, 800, and finally 1000 automotive paper prior to the last couple coats. As others have observed here, this finish dries completely quite quickly. In my case I left most coats to dry at least 8 hours and by that time the sanding produced a fine white powder with no stickiness at all. This was easily cleaned with a brush-equipped shop vac followed up by a tack cloth. (BTW I did use the cheapie oil-based tack cloths you can pick up at Lowes with no oil-vs-water problems.) I also used this finish an a couple of maple plywood shelves with solid maple edging for the inside of the cabinet. No issues here either and the color is completely natural. I also put a coat of Butcher's wax on these shelves maybe a day after the last coat - worked great after being buffed out with a wool pad on the Bosch random orbit sander. Will probably do this to the top eventually as well. The things I would be most careful to look out for are BRUSH MARKS and DRIPS. I addressed the brush mark issue by thinning the finish. All of my surfaces were flat and horizontal so it was pretty easy to avoid drips. I could see this being a bigger issue for vertical surfaces, so be careful if you have those or any detailed carvings or turnings. Very easy cleanup with warm water and a touch of True-Green cleaner. I stay away from hand soap for these kinds of things as those often contain various oils. I found little or no VOC or odor with this finish, another significant positive for my in-home (basement) workshop. It goes without saying that this finish is relatively expensive compared to the Minwax at one of the box stores. But the bottom line for me, again, I got what I was after which is a nice satin finish with a natural color maple cabinet top. Would definitely use this finish again.

This milky white satin varnish performed well and since it’s water based the clean up was easy.

The best water based polyurethane I know of! Also, kudos to the company fulfilling this order for including a 40 hour heat pack that kept it from freezing. The temp was below 0 two nights during shipping and it arrived in useable condition!