Thread: HELP with Polyurethane

I have run into some problems while finishing my floors and I am calling upon some others to bail me out.

I sanded and stained 400 sq feet of heart pine flooring and am applying oil based poly. The Varathane OMU semi-gloss for floors is absolute garbage. Imagine trying to top coat with a product that has the consistency of honey. It is supposed to be self leveling, but it does not. My temps and humidity have been ideal...cool and cloudy with average humidity. The poly has tons of lap marks and brush marks from the application. I tried several different brushes and lambswool pads and had the same results. Like most VOC 350 products, they offer no thinning instructions and the can says 'do not thin'. From my understanding, this has more to do with EPA regulations than product compatibility, but I am not a chemist and don't want to experiment with my floors.

I have two coats on most of the floor and need a total of 4 coats. I have sanded the surface pretty smooth and cannot feel the ridges where the brush/lap marks are; however, they can still be seen slightly. My question is pretty simple...

If I coat over these marks, will they become 'trapped' under the surface or will additional coats help remedy the situation? I am switching to another product to finish the job, Fabulon. It is also an OMU but is not VOC 350 and is said to flow nicely and can easily be applied with a roller. I am hoping that the additional coats will not be affected by the prior flaws.

Any advice and comments would be great.