Polycrylic vs polyurethane
Both are Minwax products, so this compares like with like. Polycrylic is water-based: Minwax gives it a 2-hour recoat, 3 hours before light handling and 24 hours before normal use, and says to sand between coats with 220-grit paper but not steel wool. Fast-Drying Polyurethane is oil-based: 3–4 hours to recoat and 24 hours before light use.
Minwax prints the same coverage for both, 125 sq ft per quart, and lists both for interior use. It says to wait 24 hours before putting Polycrylic over its oil-based Wood Finish stain.
Side by side
| Property | Minwax Polycrylic | Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane |
|---|---|---|
| Touch-dry | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Recoat | Minwax Polycrylic: 2 h | Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane: 3–4 h |
| Ready for use | Minwax Polycrylic: 24 h (normal use (light handling after 3 hours)) | Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane: 24 h (light use) |
| Full cure | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Coverage | Minwax Polycrylic: 125 sq ft per quart | Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane: 125 sq ft per quart |
| Thinning | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Makers say it is for | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Makers say not for | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
The products behind it
| Product | Touch-dry | Recoat | Use | Full cure | Coverage | Thinning and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minwax Polycrylic One source: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), the maker of that product | — | 2 h | 24 hnormal use (light handling after 3 hours) | — | 125 sq ft per quart | Sand with 220 grit between coats, no steel wool; 3 coats; wait 24 hours over Minwax Wood Finish stain. |
| Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane One source: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), the maker of that product | — | 3–4 h | 24 hlight use | — | 125 sq ft per quart | Sand lightly with 220 grit between coats; 3 coats for most durability. |
Related
Work it out for your project
Times are the makers' own at the temperature and humidity they name, and several of them say cooler, damper conditions slow their finishes. For how much to buy, the finish coverage calculator uses these same coverage figures. Every finish side by side: the finish dry time chart. What the federal rules say about finishes and food: food-contact finishes.
Elsewhere in finishing: shellac and the shellac cut calculator; for repairs before the finish, wood filler vs wood putty; and for the glue-up, wood glue types.