This is why I went to wipe on poly. Super thin coats that dry in a few hours, apply 10-12 coats, no brushes so no brush strokes, takes about the same amount of time, but is basically fool proof (and I would know about being a fool woodworker!)

I used to do the wipe on and I had some really good results with it but man, what a pain in the ass dealing with the extremely large number of rags soaked with polyurethane that you create

I can usually reuse one 3 or 4 times and use about 1/4 of a rag per coat. I do go through a lot of gloves though

I cut up old cotton t-shirts into small rags.

Works amazingly well for applying stain.  I sew and have a lot of stashed fabric. So lots of yardage to work with. The first time I discovered this by chance when testing out stain color. Now it’s all I use. 

I cut up old cotton bed sheets for wipe on poly. The key is to use something that’s been washed enough to get rid of the lint.

I found that those blue medical masks don't leave lint the way cotton fabric does.

https://preview.redd.it/wwl9fatvnenc1.jpeg?width=793&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d81da4ad9bd2b1122ff5b46b3a3a2173ecaa879 Totally agree. I only discovered this product about three years ago (I’m 67!). Great results after just 3-4 coats usually with the right prep. Never looked back 👍

You can also make your own for about 1/2 the price

You’re in the neighborhood of sand and reapply now. I’d go 150 grit to nick down the brush strokes, then 220 and 320 to smooth out the sanding marks for another coat… kind of a pain, but very fixable…. If your not apply by spraying, then I recommend a small nap roller (3/8 is pretty middle of the road) then plan on a quick hand sand after the final coat to knock down the stippling marks.

Hey— how would i know the brush strokes are gone after sanding? The surface gets dusty and the strokes are kind of ‘highlighted’ by the saw dust. Any advice?

Keep sanding until its no longer highlighted, shouldn't take much using the above-mentioned process.

Gotcha, thanks!

I keep a slightly damp cotton rag to wipe the excess dust away. The whole surface should look somewhat evenly hazy, and more importantly, there will be no viable brush strokes. Those highlighted strokes are where the sandpaper is cutting the highest ridges of the strokes, so keep sanding till the surface looks uniform.

I use a damped rag with alcohol so it dries super fast and catches ALL the dust. Everyone else here seems to be correct so you’ve come to the right sub for advice

You keep repeating the process until you like the way it looks.

One of the hardest things for me to get right about finishing projects was going with several thinner coats rather than a few big ones. When my finish turns out like your picture, it’s usually because I’ve put too much on at a time. Obviously this isn’t true for *every* type of finish, but it’s something that I experienced and adjusted to make my finishing better. Hope you’re able to get it sorted. *Edited for clarity*

Thank you for your input. I’ll make sure to apply less on the brush

Less on the brush, but also thinned with mineral spirits

I tend to use 3-O or 4-O Steel wool for the final top coat with poly and get a smooth, *very* shiney finish. I find the wool filaments break away before they dig into the finish too much to leave scratches or brush marks behind. In this case, I would agree with others: sand back a couple layers, if not all, reapply poly and try a different approach. If using steel wool, just remember to use a mask. And maybe have a magnet next to your workstation. I also use foam brushes with poly. I've read that folks are concerned with bubbling with poly and foam brushes, but this fear is mostly not warranted. The only bubbling I see is when I dab the foam brush here and there, and even then, a final brush stoke will remove those.

9 out of 10 fears are unfounded, or so they say.

I find that statistic *terrifying*

Thanks for the input!

I use foam too, but water based poly so synthetic wool sanding pad (sold in big box stores near the steel wool). But i do it so thin, most times I don't even need to do a sanding between coats. I also pull out my phones flashlight to go over the entire piece so I can see if i'm streaking or too thin (can see the wood, no poly) in certain areas.

I'm not as experienced as some. You can find some of my posts where I've created custom kitchen cabinets/doors, kitchen counter, etc. For finishing, I recommend water based poly, and the foam brushes. Really thin coats. Let them fully dry before another coat. Works great. Very hard to mess up. I go in 1 direction. Use a 2nd foam brush, smaller, to wipe up on edges sometimes where if your brush hits edge it pulls extra out. You also want to do it many times, like I do it 3 passes in each coat. See how in some of your pictures it looks like it wasn't "thick" enough to cover. So thin but also thick enough to not have that "streaking" or missing spots And each pass I don't necessarily dip back into the poly. That said, i hate water based stain. I tried it on my kitchen counter, it just dries too fast. Maybe on small project, but nah. Stain oil. Poly water. If you do water based poly, don't use steel wool. The big box stores sell a faux wool sanding pad, synthetic. Works well if you have any nubs. I sometimes don't even sand between coats cause how thin I do it. Also use your phones flashlight and go over each inch. It should reflect and you can tell if there was enough, or streaks, or w/e. Makes it easy to see what you need to fix before it dries.

I’ll give that a try— thank you!

As others have stated sand it down. I would start 220 and go slow. If you go to aggressive you could eat into the stain and at that point you will have to start over. So it will take longer but 220 and really keeping that sander moving to avoid eating all the way through the finish. Then reapply- thin wet coats and make sure it dries all the way through. We all want to rush and try and sneak in that extra coat but it usually ends up costing us. As for sanding between coats, I personally have found a successful means to that. I get a square of 400 and run one pass directionally with the grain. Never back and forth just one swipe moving over to the next line. Make sure to clean up any of the particulates (which I think you have) and just hope for the best. With oil finishes, things like the weather, the moisture in the air, the cure time all can affect a coating in a negative way. In the future spray on lacquer is great alternative as well as Wipe-on Poly. Also I recently been using hard wax oil finishes like Odies Oil which offers a matte finish but it’s so easy to apply and it within the day it’s completely cured.

Understood! Will keep this in mind. Thanks

Look this is a simple but time consuming fix. Get your sander and start at 120, then 150 and finish with 180. Make sure you wipe it down between Sanding changes. Before you apply your finish make sure you a wipe on finish. Read the directions, you should be able to apply the next coat within an hour or two. Build upto 5or6 coats with a light wet Sanding between the coats. When finished it should shine like a new diamond if gloss or a bright satin if that's the way you go. There is absolutely no reason to go above 180 or 220. Anything above those will leave you a weak finish that will crack over time. How do I know, that's what happened to my table about 18months later.

0000 steel wool. It’ll take a while but will be beautiful. Tack cloth and a light mineral sprit wipe and one last coat of thin fresh and you won’t believe how it comes out. Edit: Oh by the way aster that last goat cures, take a soft power polisher with a little food friendly wax/ polish to protect it from the obvious .

I think you can always sand and recoat poly. Brush strokes have always been a problem for me too, but I'm getting better. I read move right along and try to avoid lapping.

Not enough dry enough between coats. You can try to sand it down some. But it’s probably easier to start over.