Bad Poly

I have been staining and finishing a lot of woodwork around my fixer-upper. I have had pretty good success. I am using Minwax Provincial stain and Semi-gloss polyurethane. Last weekend I applied and wiped down the "factory fresh" stain (as per all of the last installations). Waited for it to dry, then applied the first coat of poly, not "factory fresh". It is still tacky, even though it has been a week. I have purchased new poly, but am not sure what I should do to make sure it will work as it usually does. Do I need to clear off the old poly with mineral spirits and start over, or will the new poly melt in an help set the old layer? Also, any way I can seal these poly cans to better preserve the contents?

 

not sure what to say in regards to the poly not drying.
could be a number of things.
as to the "sealing" of the poly cans.... if i know that i am not
going to use the whole can at one time, be it paint or whatever,
i use a regular screw driver and a hammer and i will punch a number
of holes into the recessed area where the lid fits down into.
think of a clock and punch a hole every other number.
this allows the material to drip back into the can.

 

Not sure why the poly didn't dry. Did it work fine the last time it was used? Was it stirred well both times? Usually when paint or poly goes bad from sitting in the can it thickens or clabbers up. As leewaytoo mentioned, cutting drain holes in the rim to allow material to drip down helps. Whether you do it this way or wipe the rim clean the lid needs to seal effectively. If I know it will be awhile before I open a can of poly again I usually cover the top of the poly with a thin coat of thinner. Don't use too much as it will be mixed in with the material when you re use it and you don't want to thin it too much.
You have 2 choices. I would expirement with both. If you wash off the poly it may take some stain with it [also quite messy] If you repoly over it, it may goo up and create a sanding nightmare.Wish you lots of luck

p.s. Welcome to the forum

 

Thanks folks. I was afraid that was the answer. I was hoping there would be a nice easy magic answer. I used to buy the gallon size poly, but couldn't keep it from thickening up, so switched to the quarts. This quart was a little thicker, but I didn't think it had "gone bad", but obviously I should have just started fresh for the whole project. I might try taking the thinner to a small spot and see, but am prepared to sand it all down and start over. Thanks again for the help!