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Sri Lanka, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte
1 Level
717 Review
38 Karma

Review on ๐ŸŽจ General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, Satin Finish - 1 Quart by Thomas Landis

Revainrating 5 out of 5

My favorite top.

This is by far my favorite polyester for use over water based stains and dyes and even latex paint. I am now a huge fan of General Finishes products. Certainly one of the best mordants, dyes and polymers on the market. The only thing I don't like about General Finishes products is that I can't find them in stores. You need to plan ahead and order this material online somewhere. Although nowadays. Everything good has to be ordered. Just because I'm a fan of General Finishes doesn't make it my favorite top coat. I would not let my product review be compromised in this way. Keep in mind that this satin polyurethane has a little more shine than most. After that has been said. This is my favorite top layer for many reasons. for one. It forgives. Water-based polymers start to dry very quickly, so most of them if for some reason you're taking too long to apply the material in one spot. You'll end up with those ugly clumps or leave brush marks on the finish. General gear materials dry quickly, but they're much more forgiving in that regard. It is recommended to brush the material in a small area and then move on, but if for some reason you brush a small area too long it will not stick or leave brush marks. Another reason I love this stuff is that it sprays great with my little compressor and LVLP gun. A lot of topcoats need to be sprayed with an HVLP gun to spray this material properly and get a nice, even coat with no streaks, but I have LVLP because I only have a small compressor that only produces 5cfm at 40lbs sq in . It sprays the material right and I get a nice, even coat with no streaks every time. What I love most about this top is that I can apply 3 or 4 coats in less than a day. This material dries hard enough to be lightly sanded in about 1-2 hours depending on conditions. After about an hour I can hit it with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it out and apply another coat. All paints are water based, or should I say water based, dry up and handle fairly quickly, but still too soft for sand. This policy is a different story. In addition, this material is dried and hardened. Polyurethane is almost indestructible. Even on coniferous trees like pine.

Pros
  • Great for outdoor use
Cons
  • Not sure