I recently stained my cherry color builder grade kitchen cabinets to an espresso color using General Finishes Java Gel Stain. I Put on 3 coats and all went well. I then applied 2 coats of the Minwax Wipe On Poly (Oil based version) in Clear Satin and now all the cabinets have streaks on them.
Before the poly it was rather smooth finish with gel stain. Now the streaks and lines are very visible. I even went ahead and applied up to 6 coats to see if it would even out, but still the streaks are there. I used an old T-shirt to apply the poly. I shook the can as instructed on the label and continued shaking throughout the process. I used 3M finishing pads between coats to scuff in between the poly coats, but that did not help either.
Also after applying this poly the sheen on the cabinets is a bit too much for me. I was hoping it was more of a matte look and not so shiny.
What can I do to fix this issue?
Should I sand lightly with like 600/1000 grit or 0000 steel wool and then apply 2 coats of the brush on poly version afterwards or stick with the wipe on version?
What can I do to decrease the sheen as well?
Here are a few pics: