Put in some butcher block counter tops and generally pleased but…
Poly finish shows up brush strokes pretty well. Any thoughts on how to avoid that?
Thanks,
Al
Try sanding it with 3000 grit sandpaper?
Sand off that poly…
use
General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Oil Based Topcoat, 1 Pint, Gloss
That looks awesome
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I’ve had very good results from the Minwax WipeOn oil based polyurethane.
Alternatively, the water based Pro Finish Polyurethane Floor Finish from Home Depot works very well, and you can get it very smooth if you’re willing to sand as needed. We tend to do 4 heavy coats to build up, sand with 220 grit to smooth/remove nibs, and then 2 thin final coats. It’s a super tough finish once it cures out, and doesn’t smell like the oil based stuff does while it’s drying.
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As someone else posted do a 3000 grit sandpaper rub or rub it down with a brown paper bag afterwords. Gives it a suuuuuper smooth finish by getting rid of all the little nibs that you can’t even really see but can feel.
The quality of the paint brush is important here as well, and might easily be the root cause, as might be technique. Make sure you are using a good quality brush, ideally brand new. And the timing between coats can be important (applying before a coat is dry will allow bristles to leave marks in the previous coat), and will be dependent on ambient condition like temperature, humidity, air circulation. Product says “Dries 2x faster”…who cares? Drying too fast can easily be an issue. I’ve never used the hybrid product you have pictured, so…grain of salt.
When in doubt, test on scrap until you understand how it will all behave and you get the results you want, then back to it.
Sanding @ 3000 seems like overkill, even on final coat, and if you have noticeable lines that or brush strokes you can see and feel from brush or technique, that high of a grit will not solve the problem. Keep in mind you are not painting your Maserati to a mirror-smooth/refection sheen, you are applying a protective finish on a utility surface that will get used a lot and, eventually, beat up over time at which point you sand a little and reapply another coat, and sand a little again.
I am wondering if a good foam brush will help? Again, if it were me, I’d test a little bit and see how I felt about it.
(note: that seems to be same price as at Lowes Depot)
I’ve used Tung Oil on a lot of woodworking projects. I made an old fashion antique looking silverware storage and put 8 coats with sanding in between and it came out like glass. It does take a long time to dry between each coat, but my customer loved it. There are some YouTube’s on the subject, this is just one I found quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CZ7OiobUQY
StumpyNubs does a good job too! 
Your profile needs updating. You are obviously an expert in wood finishing.
