Best finish system for poplar handrails/posts?
I’m finishing a poplar handrails/posts and trying to pick the smartest finish system. I’ve had decent success staining poplar before, but lighter stain is always more unpredictable. Either way, I need a durable topcoat, so I’m starting to think the bigger decision is the final coating system more than the stain/color itself.
I’m taking everything apart and spraying the pieces in my garage with a Capspray 4 stage CS9100 w/ Maxum 2 gun. Plus, I have 72 metal rods that I’ll spray clear separately.
Ideally I’d like to stay with a waterbased system. I’m considering stain plus Bona Traffic HD or tinted 2K waterbased topcoat like Centurion or Renner, or primer plus Benjamin Moore Advance. My concerns are durability, cost, pot life, constant gun cleaning, and not turning this into a miserable project. Concerned to about PPE and 2k!
For the metal rods, I’m leaning toward a separate simple waterbased direct-to-metal product since they won’t really be touched much.
What water based finish system would you choose for this project? and would you use a separate product for the metal rods?