1 gal Minwax 71031 Clear Premium Oil-Water Hybrid Water-Based Oil-Modified Polyurethane, Warm Gloss

I had recently gotten fed up with oil based stains and varnishes due to their strong smell and horrible cleanup, so I decided to make a switch to water-based stuff. I use stains/varnishes primarily for small wood plaques (used for my artwork) so keep that in mind for this review. I bought Rustoleum's Water-based Red Mahogany Wood Stain and was quite pleased with it! It went on great and dried quickly! Then I decided to try Rustoleum's Varathane Water-based Polyurethane to go with it. That ended up being a complete disaster. It went on poorly, setting so quickly even on the very small wood plaques that I was using that it turned into a big gloopy mess when I tried to even out the brush strokes. I tried several different techniques to get it to work (check out my review of it if you really want to know how that worked out) but nothing really made it feel satisfactory to me. After getting very annoyed with it, I decided to try out Minwax's Water Based Oil Modified Polyurethane.I'd heard that Water-based Oil Modified Polyurethanes were essentially hybrids between water-based and oil-based finishes, and that they had the benefits of both. This is definitely true! It still has low odor and low toxicity, dries quickly, and it cleans up very easily with soap and water. Even better, it went on much more smoothly than the pure water-based stuff I had tried before, and it leveled out nicely as it dried. It even has a nice amber tint to it that many people miss when they switch to clear water-based polyurethanes. Of course, if you specifically want something that doesn't have that amber tint, you'll probably need to try a different brand or go with a pure water-based one (preferably a brand that works better than Rustoleum's product).So, all in all, if you want to make that switch to only using water-based stuff, I'd definitely recommend you get this polyurethane instead of any pure water-based polyurethanes out there. It seems to have all the benefits of both water-based and oil-based polyurethanes without any of their detriments. My only regret is that it's very hard to find water-based oil modified polyurethanes, and this one was the only one I could find in a very small size anywhere. Sadly, I wanted gloss but they only had semi-gloss available in this size, otherwise I'd have to buy a huge gallon size from Lowes. So, anyway, if you can find it in the size and sheen you want, or can settle for semi-gloss, then I heartily recommend this product!

Used this finish on louvered doors that was on top of stain. Layed down nicely as long as the day was cool started to set up quickly in 100 degree heat. Just something to take note of. The finish turned out great with two coats and clean up was easy.

I have used this product for approximately 6 years and it has been such a solid product. It really is user friendly - meaning anyone can use it and get good results. What I like about it is that It seems to level out even if you accidentally apply too much material it levels out nicely…. And it drys quickly. I’ve seen product hold up in direct uv and wet conditions.I have noticed however that this newly labeled “warm satin” is definitely on the low end of sheens - it’s not like your typical satin sheen. Also, be prepared to wash your brush well- soap and water … but you still end up with a stiff brush because of the oil component in the material.In all - a great product!! I would recommend this product

It might be that I used it on a cork floor that it came out with streaks. And I didn't sand in between coats so it could be that. I had used this on chairs and it was amazingly easy and cleaned up easy. So I think it's a good polyurethane. I used lambs wool applicator but couldn't stop even the first coat from laying down with streaks. Maybe if I had sanded. But when it's done and cured for the correct time it's a solid finish like I wanted and very shiny. So if you want to use it on your floors get the stick with the lambs wool applicator and in between coats you can just put a piece of Sand Paper on the same block while you wash the lambs wool or change to a new one and do the light sanding to see if it smooths our the streaks.

I've used Min Wax products for decades but this is my first time with this oil-modified, water based poly. I used it as a top coat on foam core board which I used as a wall board and painted (stained) with a faux wood grain technique. I used both water base and oil base stains, used this water based poly over all of it, and it applied and adhered equally well over both types of stain. In addition to the ease of soap and water clean up, this stuff dries SUPER FAST, amazingly fast! That made it a good choice for foam board since that so readily warps/cups if over exposed to moisture. I actually like this water based polyurethane better than the Min Wax Polycrylic, which I've also used. I'm not saying that's a bad product, it's not, and it certainly has a place in the industry, but I've found it takes such a long time to dry and cure, and that is sometimes a problem. The speed at which this water based poly dries, recoats and cures is especially nice on projects that require multiple steps, multiple coats and dry time in between. I read that this isn't as durable as the water based Polycrylic under extreme conditions, but for craft projects like this one, it was ideal and will likely be my go-to interior water base top coat. I think Min Wax hit a home run with this product.PS - I came back because I thought this might be important for someone who is also new to this product. I recommend using a foam brush for applying this stuff. I am typically a bristle brush user and have expensive latex and oil base brushes that I use ONLY for applying their respective top coats in order to get a smooth application and nice finish when done. Those tried-and-true brushes did not work with this product, none of the brushes I tried were good enough, so I finally switched to the only foam brush i had on hand......one of those super cheapies from the paint store, but that was the answer. I don't know if it's because of the super fast dry time or the combination of water and oil in the product or what, but that's what it took....a $1.50 foam brush. A spray gun would probably work well, too, but I don't use paint sprayers so I can't speak to that. And, don't be dawdling when working with this stuff, and split large projects into sections. It dries so quickly, you have to stay focused, keep moving along and don't even think about brushing over what you've already done, even if you just did it seconds ago. Let it dry completely and then see what it looks like, it'll look worse if you try to go over it while tacky.

I used to seal a diamond painting and it did the job well. It didn’t seem to take away the glitter from the painting and I used sparingly and have had no pooping of drills.

Minwax makes very good products, and I would rate this as a very good product. Easy to use and easy to clean up after the job is done.

its totally odourless

Easy to apply.