Free tool
Finish & coverage estimator
Work out how much finish to buy, how many coats to apply, what grit to sand between them, and how long each coat needs to dry at your temperature and humidity.
The workpiece
Edges, mouldings, turned parts.
The finish
Shop conditions
Oil-based stain and polyurethane are flammable, and rags soaked in them can self-ignite. Work with cross-ventilation, wear nitrile gloves and a respirator, and store used rags submerged in water inside a sealed metal container.
Reference
Typical coverage rates and coat schedules
| Finish | Coverage | Coats | Recoat time | Sand between | Before use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetrating oil | 12 m²/L | 2 | 4–6 h | 220 | 3 days |
| Water-based lacquer | 10 m²/L | 3 | 1–2 h | 320 | 3 days |
| Oil-based polyurethane | 14 m²/L | 3 | 4–6 h | 320 | 7 days |
| Paste wax | 16 m²/L | 2 | 20–30 min | 400 | 24 hours |
| Marine varnish | 11 m²/L | 4–6 | 12–24 h | 280 | 7 days |
Coverage varies with how much the wood absorbs and how thickly you apply each coat. The first coat always takes more than the label figure suggests.
Finishing notes
Three things that decide how the job looks
Prepare, then prepare again
Most finish faults are sanding faults. Step through the grits, vacuum between every grit change, and take the last pass with a tack cloth. A dust nib you can see before finishing becomes a lump you can feel afterwards.
Respect the recoat time
Applying the second coat while the first is still soft traps solvent and produces a wrinkly film that never fully hardens. If in doubt, wait longer — the finish does the material no harm by waiting.
Thin coats beat thick ones
Three thin coats outlast two heavy ones every time. Thick coats stay soft, run on vertical surfaces and take far longer to cure through. The only place a heavier first coat helps is when the wood is very porous.