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Just finished a dining table where I used a water-based topcoat over an oil stain, and everyone told me it would fail.
After 3 coats and a full cure, it's holding up better than the old lacquer I used on a similar piece last year, with zero clouding. Anyone else find the new water-based stuff actually works if you follow the directions exactly?
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colesanchez1mo ago
Remember when water-based finishes were supposed to be junk? I was totally in that camp, swore by oil for years. Then I did a test on some scrap with an oil stain and a good water-based topcoat, just to prove it would fail. That sample board has been sitting on my porch for a year now, through rain and sun, and it still looks perfect. Completely changed my mind.
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the_spencer1mo ago
My buddy Dave in Phoenix had his whole deck redone with a water based finish three summers ago. The sun out there is brutal but it hasn't faded or cracked at all. He used to give me the same old speech about oil being the only real option.
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leobrown1mo ago
No kidding! I heard the same old warnings for years. I finally tried a water-based poly over an oil stain on my kitchen cabinets, just following the can to the letter. Two years later, not a single crack or peel, and it dried so clear. The old oil-based stuff I used to swear by would yellow in the sun. People just hate change.
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