janhuge Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I usually stick to building furniture and using finishing methods I'm familiar with but with work being slow lately I took on a refinishing job the other day. The table is 1950's vintage sapele veneer with significant water stains and some cracking. I used a mc chemical stripper to remove the old finish after trying lacquer thinner and alcohol to see what the finish was (neither one did anything to the finish). After scrubbing the stripped top with mineral spirits and a light hand sanding, much of the stain was still on the wood. The veneer is actually pretty thick but with the stain looking surprisingly good I decided to see if I could avoid any real sanding and applied a coat of arm r seal to the leaf to see what would happen. The arm r seal "curdled" into an uneven pattern, obviously interacting with something from the previous finish or the stripper. I then sanded the top aggressively with 220 (removing the stain) and applied a near perfect stain match using a water based transtint mixture. My question is--- is using a coat of zinsser sealcoat over the stain, before my coats of arm r seal a good idea? I'm thinking that the sealcoat will 1) help prevent pulling any of the stain, 2) possibly seal in any nasty remnants of the previous finish or stripper and 3) help me build up the finish quicker. At least what I think... but I have never used a sealer and could use any help. Thanks in advance, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janhuge Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Just thought I'd follow up on my own question for someone else's future reference. In the end I sanded as aggressively as I dared and used 2 coats of zinsser sealcoat over the stripped and stained tabletop followed by numerous coats of arm r seal. I can't say for sure what caused me the trouble in the first place so cant say definitively whether it was further sanding or the sealcoat that was the solution. I suspect it was both and can say for sure that the finish came out great. I had no bubbling, waviness or adhesion issues. The Sealcoat seems to be a good idea in that scenario either way, it's easy to apply, cheap and from what I found in further research, a good safety barrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I routinely apply sealcoat between layers of finish. It is a tried and true method for ensuring adhesive of various finish materials. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodcrafter10 Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I routinely apply sealcoat between layers of finish. It is a tried and true method for ensuring adhesive of various finish materials. Tim Would you please tell me the sealcoat you use and when you use it? I have used sanding sealer on pine and other softwoods, but never with hardwoods, am I missing something that I should know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Hi, I use Zinsser Sealcoat. It is a 2 lb. cut of de-waxed shellac. Sealcoat Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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