Posted: 3/23/2026 8:58:48 PM EDT
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Making a rocking horse for the granddaughter. Made from red oak, with two coats of stain on it. I sanded with 320 grit after the first coat, and I like the way it looks now. But not sure how to end it. Do I just leave it like it is, with two coats of stain (Minwax)? Spray it with some polyurethane? I’ve never had good luck brushing on poly, seems like I left brush marks no matter what I did. Johnson’s paste wax? First time doing something like this, mistakes were made but was able to hide them. I just don’t want to ruin it by bad finishing! |
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You don't have too. But the stain will rub off with use. To make it simple get a can of Minwax Polycrylic. Its a water based top coat safe for kids.. Very simple to apply and hard to mess up. It comes in different sheens. Pick which ever you like. Grab some cheap foam brushes 2 will do. You can wash them. Apply a lite coat. Let dry 4 to 6 hours and lightly sand to 220. Apply second lite coat and allow to dry. Inspect work if you want to do more. Be sure to sand between coats. It's easy to fix if you mess up. If you see runs wipe them off with the brush. FYI: I rarely sand wood above 180 before starting the finishing process. 220, 320, etc are for final finish. <----------- Furniture maker. |
| I would use a hardwax finish as they are very easy to apply, repair, and maintain. However, since you used a stain already, you can't put those on top so I would use wipe on polyurethane (or make it myself with some polyurethane and mineral spirits). About 4 coats of that, with a light scuffing between coats and it should be good to go. |