# Minwax Fast Dry Floor Poly Odor



## gideond (May 17, 2007)

I had a can of Minwax Super Fast Drying Satin Poly at the shop and decided to use it up on some furniture I'm building. I've never actually used the product before this. The finish turned out great. I had no issues with drying like I've seen mentioned all across the web. I do however have an issue with odor.

I'm assuming this stuff is pumped full of drying oils like a Japan drier. It's not a pleasant smell at all. That normally isn't an issue since Poly never smells that great anyway. However, three weeks after running the clear, these pieces are still off-gassing. They aren't as potent as they were, but you can smell the furniture as soon as you walk in the room. 

Anyone had experience with the stuff to know how long it takes for the odor to die down if it ever does? From now on I'll stick with my normal finished and add a little naptha if it needs to dry quicker.


----------



## Joe thehandyman (Jul 2, 2010)

How long was it lying around?
In my experience, if its not fresh, it dries slower


----------



## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Yep---might be the age--I use it often enough and the cure is about 3 to four days.


----------



## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Depends on how thick the coats were and how long you left it between coats. It can easily take 2 months for the smell to go away if it was thick and fast.


----------



## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I put four coats of satin on a floor last week and I don't find it fast drying. I was also surprised how dark it is.

I applied with a synthetic lambswool applicator and I suspect it is plenty thick.

Does anyone know if this stuff has any attributes which make it better than the normal Minwax? I wonder if it is supposed to be more durable?

In all fairness, I applied it at 55 degrees and left it to dry with the furnace off. The furnace would not come on again until the temp. hit 45.


----------



## heavy_d (Dec 4, 2012)

I have been using this stuff for stairs lately. It does reccomend only two coats.


----------



## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

It's supposed to be faster to recoat and more chip resistant. You obviously have to take the color change into account - it does darken things quite a bit.

The big attraction is easy availability - you can get it just about anywhere. The odor, however, makes it a problem product. It does not firm up well at all if it's put on thick; you'll be able to dent it for days.

IMO, thin it, and keep the heat up and ventilation going, or use something else.


----------



## gideond (May 17, 2007)

The product was only bought a couple of months ago. The shop was around 60 degrees consistently. I put one coat on with a brush and it was a thin coat. Two days later I scuff sanded and applied a second coat. That's it. I have no issues with the look or durability of the piece. It's rock hard. It's just the odor. This stuff is purple in the can so I can see why it would darken a piece, but this furniture is a dark brown anyway so it wasn't an issue on these pieces. 

I like it because it flashes off fast enough to avoid runs and keep a lot of the dust out of the finish. The odor is a real issue though. Thankfully this in my own shelving so it is only me complaining. I could never put this is a customer's house.


----------



## FirenzeConstr (Dec 25, 2014)

The stuff contains hydrocarbons, so yeah its going to be exceptionally potent. The smell is highly synthetic mixed with some fake woody smell, at least that's what it smells like to me. 

Did you just use it now this Winter? I ask because here on the west coast relative humidity is 95%+ and temps are high 40s at best. This can severely impact drying performance. I just spar urethaned a door recently and it took a week to not be tacky to the touch, its supposed to take no more than 8 hours or so. 

I also did some cabinets over 2 months ago that still have odor when I open them. Just give it time, it will go away.


----------



## FirenzeConstr (Dec 25, 2014)

Also, wear a chemical mask that filters out the VOCs when using this. Im appalled how many people I see urethaning with no chemical filter mask, quick way to get cancer.


----------



## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I was back in that house today, 6 days after the last coat, and it was still stinky. Temp up to 43 today, so I turned off the furnace and opened some windows.

Might be a good way to keep people off it for a week. Make it so you can't stand to be in the house.


----------



## Dave in Pa (Oct 10, 2009)

I used it on my own personal floor at my new place, drying time was LONGER than they say on the can, took overnight to dry. The next day was dry, still did not walk on it, but fine after that! The smell was gone in about 3 days to me, that was with the windows closed, just the doors open as needed. The heat was on, to about 68 at the time, and I have hot water heat, so no blower to fling the smell around.


----------



## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

gideond said:


> *The product was only bought a couple of months ago. The shop was around 60 degrees consistently.* I put one coat on with a brush and it was a thin coat. Two days later I scuff sanded and applied a second coat. That's it. I have no issues with the look or durability of the piece. It's rock hard. It's just the odor. This stuff is purple in the can so I can see why it would darken a piece, but this furniture is a dark brown anyway so it wasn't an issue on these pieces.
> 
> I like it because it flashes off fast enough to avoid runs and keep a lot of the dust out of the finish. The odor is a real issue though. Thankfully this in my own shelving so it is only me complaining. I could never put this is a customer's house.


...but you have no idea how long it was on the store shelf, or in the distribution channel.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

cleveman said:


> I put four coats of satin on a floor last week and I don't find it fast drying. I was also surprised how dark it is.
> 
> I applied with a synthetic lambswool applicator and I suspect it is plenty thick.
> 
> ...


Your temps were your problem. Cool temps slow the dry time. I try to have the house at at least 65-70 degrees 24 hours before varnish is applied.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

hdavis said:


> It's supposed to be faster to recoat and more chip resistant. You obviously have to take the color change into account - it does darken things quite a bit.
> 
> The big attraction is easy availability - you can get it just about anywhere. The odor, however, makes it a problem product. It does not firm up well at all if it's put on thick; you'll be able to dent it for days.
> 
> *IMO, thin it, and keep the heat up and ventilation going, or use something else*.



This is very good advice.

I don't use poly full strength on the first coat. If it's on the floor, depending on how thick body it is, I've been known to thin up to 30% with mineral spirits. Use odorless if you don't want the extra smell. Most of the time, I even thin the topcoat 10% to make it flow better.

That said, I rarely reach for poly on furniture or shelving projects. There's better faster drying, lower smelling products available for these types of jobs.


----------



## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

pinwheel said:


> Your temps were your problem. Cool temps slow the dry time. I try to have the house at at least 65-70 degrees 24 hours before varnish is applied.


For every 10 degrees under 70 double the dry time. Having the room pre warmed is very smart. Just because the air in the room is 70 doesnt mean the surfaces are. It takes time for the heat to soak into the structure.


----------



## gideond (May 17, 2007)

The shop is part of my house and climate controlled. It was around 60 the whole time and it's been in the main house where it's 65 consistently since then. The smell is slowly dying, but it's a lengthy process. And yes I have no idea how long the can was in distribution. They could have set on it for a year for all I know.


----------



## gideond (May 17, 2007)

Pinwheel, what type of products are you using now? I've used a lot of P&L varnish in the past but I've always had issues with their satin not leaving an even sheen. I'm not set up to run lacquer at this point.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

gideond said:


> Pinwheel, what type of products are you using now? I've used a lot of P&L varnish in the past but I've always had issues with their satin not leaving an even sheen. I'm not set up to run lacquer at this point.



I don't buy much off the shelf finish. For poly, I use Fabulon floor finish mostly, but have recently been using a lot of masterline floor varnish. I've sprayed over 50 gallon of masterline in the last 30 days. It's still got a fairly strong smell while it's curing, but not near as long as fabulon. But neither of them are off gassing that I can smell after a week.

For furniture, shelving, ect, I spray Gemini products. Mostly conversion varnish. Fast dry & no noticeable smell withing a couple days.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

gideond said:


> The shop is part of my house and climate controlled. It was around 60 the whole time and it's been in the main house where it's 65 consistently since then. The smell is slowly dying, but it's a lengthy process. And yes I have no idea how long the can was in distribution. They could have set on it for a year for all I know.


I don't believe it's an issue of age. Even a year old finish that's not been opened, shouldn't have curing problems.

My guess, & only a guess, the previous coats hadn't fully cured before the next coat was applied. Turn up the temps in the house for a few days & see if that don't help. 60 degrees even slows the curing process.


----------

