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Showerthought: That can of finish I bought three years ago just ruined a table
I had a partial can of a popular oil-based polyurethane sitting on my shelf in the garage since a job in Tacoma back in 2021. Last week, I used it on a nice maple table top. It went on cloudy and never fully cured, leaving a sticky, gummy mess. The shelf life on these products is real, and I should have tossed it. Has anyone else had a finish fail from age, and how do you mark your cans?
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the_piper7mo ago
Ever think those dates were just a suggestion? I used to ignore them, but a ruined oak floor last year proved me wrong. Now I write the open date on the lid with a paint pen.
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zara_hunt5mo ago
@the_piper you're absolutely right about writing the open date on the lid. I never did that until a can of floor varnish from 2020 gave me the same sticky nightmare you described. It looked fine in the can but turned into a gummy mess on a set of shelves I was so proud of. Now I use a permanent marker right on the rim where I can't miss it. Lesson learned the hard way.
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