How to clear coat a bookshelf to avoid sticky books...

[Dolmetscher007]

I just finished making a very mid-century modern shelf. It is literally just a 52" long x 13" tall x 13" deep box that I will be hanging on my wall using a huge french cleat. The exterior of the bookshelf is veneered with super  nice cherry. It has a mahogany edge to hide the plywood "end grain," and the interior is painted using Benjamin Moor's Satin oil-based paint. It looks great! It is by far the most dead on square, and "perfect" piece I've made to date. 

I've already started finishing it. I've painted the inside with 1-2-3 Bullseye primer, and I mixed up a batch of 50/50 boiled lindseed oil and mineral spirits that I rubbed on the cherry and mahogany. I plan to put on a coat of Bullseye shellac clear dewaxed sanding sealer, then clear coat the exterior. Here is where my plans get a little fuzzy for me. 

In the past, I always used just your regular old Minwax fast-dry polyurethane; uncut, straight from the can using a china bristle brush. I got brush strokes, drips, and all the other problems. So, thinking it was the product and not me (It can't be me... right?) I started looking for other alternatives. So I found General Finishes Arm R Seal. I used it on a night stand with the exact same cherry veneer/mahogany banding/white painted interior. It is incredibly thin, so I treated it like a wipe-on poly. I bunched up a small rag into a larger rang, and twisted it to make a little pad, and wiped on the ArmRSeal. It was weird. Even through it was as thin as water, it did not level out like I thought it would. I must have just put on way too much each time. Even though I was trying to just barely do super thin layers each time, if there was a small strip of the ArmRseal, it didn't level out, or anything. It just dried like that. And the open time was nothing like the Minwax that I'm used to. The ArmRSeal started to tack up after just a few minutes so I could not go back and rub out any "wet spots." I ended up doing 6 coats of ArmrSeal, sanding in between each time with 320 sandpaper. The end result has turned out to be... okay. 

All the streaks and wet sports eventually leveled out in the recoating/sanding procedure. But the ArmrSeal is so shiny. I like a satin finish. So, I took some Behelen Wool Lube and some #0000 steel wool and rubbed the absolute crap out of the finish. The ArmRseal was so strong and hard, that it did not rb out to an even satin. There were shiny places that were still the ArmRSeal Semi-gloss. So I had to run again. And again... and again. I finally used some Behlen Deluxing compound finishing wax to wax, and the sheen is where I'd want it. but... Jesus. I really broke my arm with the #0000 steel wool. Is ArmR Seal just THAT much harder than the minwax polly?

Now... my real question is... what can I do to protect the white painted inside where the books will actually sit. I had painted bookcases before, and when you put a book on them, even if you let the paint dry/cure for a month, the book still kind of sinks into the soft painter surface, ad the next time you pick up the book, there is a cracking sound as you rip the book out of the painted surface. I would just poly over the white painted surface. But all poly, even the ArnRSeal will yellow the white paint. Should I lay down a couple of coats of the Sanding Sealer dewaxed clear shellac? I also have a can of just clear satin deft spray lacquer. I do not have a HVLP spray system. Hell... while we're on the subject, should I just use the deft spray lacquer on the whole piece, and then run it out with #0000 steel wool to correct any overspray or imperfections? This isn't a kitchen table, and I do not think I need any heavy duty protection for this book case. What do you guys think about deft spray lacquer?

[wdwerker]

I would use a finish that dries much harder for the interior instead of paint.  BIN by Zinnser is white pigmented shellac. It's often used to seal stains from bleeding through paint.  You could coat the insides with BIN and do a fine sand between coats then use a super blonde shellac as a top coat. 

[wtnhighlander]

If you have already painted the interior, I think the clear lacquer is a good choice. Minimal alteration of the white color, dries pretty hard, and rubs out well.

If you haven't painted yet, consider trying a home made 'chalk paint' blend. Simply mix some plaster of paris into latex paint, with a little water to keep the viscocity. It dries much harder than plain latex, and will have a matt texture. Clear topcoats can add some protection and gloss.

As with any new finishing technique practice on scraps first!

[SawDustB]

This is the one area where I think the water based polycrylic really shines. It dries completely clear, is quick and easy, and works perfectly for sealing in paint. On my projects I went with latex based paint followed by polycrylic. I have no idea how it would work with oil based paint, so I'm not necessarily suggesting it for this situation.

[Coop]

12 hours ago, Mike. said:

I had that sticky book problem when I was about 13.   My dad bought me a pack of tube socks.  Problem solved.  

Mom probably wished you were a girl on wash day?

[gee-dub]

I think wdwerker nailed it.  Many paints are designed to resist bumps and bang and take some scrubbing; ergo non-brittle.  I might try to sand (or better yet strip) the paint and start again; Zinsser BIN followed by a topcoat or two of Zinsser Seal Coat. The Seal Coat clear dewaxed shellac is easily repaired if wear and tear get the better of it but, I wouldn't count on it. 

My years-old tablesaw sleds are BB ply with shellac and paste wax on the bottoms.  I have never work through the shellac (I re-wax about once a year) and I use them very, very frequently.  Much more abuse than a book being slid on and off of a shelf.

I wouldn't use shellac for a front door threshold but, it is more resilient than many people give it credit for.  It is my go-to finish for items that are not in a direct wear path.  So unless your avid reader has the finesse of the American Tourister monkey, you should be good.

[wtnhighlander]

Like gee-dub says, shellac is a good top coat, but if you use the Zinsser pre-mixed stuff, check the expiration date. If it is old, it tends to take AGES to harden.

[Alan G]

About 5 years ago I built a cubby for my kids toys etc, painted it, inside and out, with white oil based paint (rustoleum). I have never had anything stick to the paint. It looks almost new even though It gets a lot of abuse daily from the kids. Having things stick to paint is called blocking. I believe it is an issue with latex paints that have a sheen.

I think you will be fine with just the oil paint. I have not used the BM oil products but have used their Aura and Regal lines extensively. Its good paint and you pay for it. The issue may be the latex primer under an oil based top coat. I usually use Zinsser Cover Stain. It covers well and you can sand it once dry.

I don't think I gave any advice but I hope an application example helps!

[wdwerker]

Always check the date on any shellac products !

If you are planning on using from an old possibly expired can make a test board and see if it dries quick and hard before you use it on your project.

Oil based enamel isn't what it used to be. EPA took away lots of the chemicals that made it dry quicker and harder.