So I've been working two months+ trying to refinish this desk... I'm trying to get the top pretty much glass smooth... But the problem is, when I use brushes, they leave brush strokes, and if I sand it with 320, 1000, and then finish with 2000, it's still cloudy from the sanding...

Anyone have any tips/ideas on how to get a smooth finish? I've tried everything from Synthetic brushes, foam brushes, microfiber brushes, and even spray can polycrylic, and spray can polyurethane (which is now causing problems with polycrylic I used over the top of it flaking off.)

I plan on making a beer pong table next, and want to do graphics under a clear coat, and I figured for that, I should use epoxy.

Trying to make something like the following when I do my beer pong table.

 

If you were starting from scratch (nothing on the table) then you would use a pour technique and let it roll off and create its own smooth level or create a Form like you do in concrete work and pour the finish into it and let it level (think of those thick varnished tables that have coins and stuff in the coating...same technique only thinner, obviously)


but if you are refinishing on top of existing coatings you are just going to have to hand polish the shit out of it