re: polyurethane application

One bit of advice for high gloss finishing – the smoothness of the substrate does not seem to be nearly as important as the flatness, because the poly will fill in the tiny nooks and crevasses if it’s sanded even poorly. But if it’s not flat it will look like a very badly warped mirror. That’s why I usually stick to satin because its really really hard (for me) to make large surfaces flat. I tend to make subtle dips, gouges and humps when sanding. Those imperfections tend to stand out with high gloss finish.

As far as wiping on wipe-on, it is truly as easy as it sounds. :-) Last time I used it, I sanded between coats with steel wool and them cleaned with mineral spirits before starting the next coat. It came out nice except for my warped mirror finish, which didn’t have anything to do with the poly.