Oil based polyurethane over water based polycrylic. You should probably use a product called floetrol from the flood company to dilute the polycrylic instead of water. Polyurethane is much more durable than polycrylic some label it as liquid plastic while its still in the tub because when it dries it will turn as hard as plastic. Polyurethane comes in both water based and oil based types. When using an oil based topcoat over a water based stain or milk paint allow water based finishes such as hp topcoat to dry at least 24 hours before coating with an oil based product.
It also comes in two varieties which is the satin or gloss finish similar to polycrylic. Water based finishes all coalesce using very similar chemistry regardless of the chemical used to make the microscopic individual units of finish. But if you use rattlecan poly you will still need a lot of coats. While both polyurethane and polycrylic can be applied over water based or oil based paints and finishes you may find that polycrylic doesnt dry quickly over matte latex paint due to additives.
Luckily there are ways around this when it comes to applying finishes. Let us first take a look at the water based variation of polyurethane and discover its strengths as well as its weaknesses. Flooring wholesalers and veteran floor finishers agree that you can recoat water based poly with oil based as long as the original coating has completely curedgenerally 30 to 60 days. Water based polyurethane or polycrylic as it is sometimes called is a vastly different product than oil based polyurethane.
To answer you original question you should have no problem applying water based polyurethane over the polycrylic. Youll have to lightly buff the old finish with a power buffer to prepare it for the new polyurethane. If you already laid down a water based finish and decided to go for an oil based one do not fret. Oil and water are famous for repelling one another and not mixing.