Meatwad Posted August 21, 2022 Report Share Posted August 21, 2022 I've got a table I'm building and I chose lacquer for the finish but every instructional video or article recommends spraying rather than brushing or wiping. Is that necessary or can I still brush it? I don't have an HVLP sprayer so I'd have to go buy rattle cans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 21, 2022 Report Share Posted August 21, 2022 I've read of a few folks that got good results with brushing lacquer. I don't recall the suggest technique, though. The solvent flashes of pretty quickly, so it is probably like brushing shellac, and requires fast work to keep a wet edge. I suppose that is why spraying is preferred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted August 21, 2022 Report Share Posted August 21, 2022 A number of years ago I finished a chest with Deft using a brush. I don't know if the Deft product is considered a brushing lacquer or not. The first coat went on just fine. Subsequent coats had to be quick with minimal brushing strokes because the subsequent coats always desolve into the first. Brushing lacquers are formulated to minimize that problem somehow. Save yourself some trouble and use spray cans; even if it costs more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatwad Posted August 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 On 8/21/2022 at 5:55 PM, Wimayo said: A number of years ago I finished a chest with Deft using a brush. I don't know if the Deft product is considered a brushing lacquer or not. The first coat went on just fine. Subsequent coats had to be quick with minimal brushing strokes because the subsequent coats always desolve into the first. Brushing lacquers are formulated to minimize that problem somehow. Save yourself some trouble and use spray cans; even if it costs more. How many coats you think would be enough with spray lacquer? 2? 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted August 22, 2022 Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 20 hours ago, Meatwad said: I've got a table I'm building and I chose lacquer for the finish but every instructional video or article recommends spraying rather than brushing or wiping. Is that necessary or can I still brush it? I don't have an HVLP sprayer so I'd have to go buy rattle cans. I've had bad results with brushing lacquer. You've got exactly one brush stroke to get it laid down just right. After that you're just making a mess. Unless there's some low flash solvent it can be thinned out with. I don't see the point though. There are so many other great finishes that brush out nicely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatwad Posted August 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 I've always used oil or water poly. But the last piece I did with poly came out pretty rough to the touch,(probably my mistake) so I was thinking of trying something else but it may not be worth the risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted August 22, 2022 Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 The one benefit to lacquer is it can handle being smoothed after the fact. If you build a lot of layers like 6-8 you could then sand the finish back to a smooth state and polish to your desired sheen. I've found it's easier to just use a wiping poly. Poly can "finished" in a similar manner but it must be done a lot less aggressively. To get a good moths finish with wiping poly I use a card scraper that's dull and lightly scrape the nibs off. The final coat is done very thinly. I squeeze most of the finish out of the rag before wiping on the final coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatwad Posted August 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 On 8/22/2022 at 11:37 AM, Chestnut said: The one benefit to lacquer is it can handle being smoothed after the fact. If you build a lot of layers like 6-8 you could then sand the finish back to a smooth state and polish to your desired sheen. I've found it's easier to just use a wiping poly. Poly can "finished" in a similar manner but it must be done a lot less aggressively. To get a good moths finish with wiping poly I use a card scraper that's dull and lightly scrape the nibs off. The final coat is done very thinly. I squeeze most of the finish out of the rag before wiping on the final coat. Are you using wipe-on poly exclusively or are you brushing the first coat and then wiping? I have used brush and wipe-on but I find with wipe-on it's a lot thinner. You saying this makes me want to brush on a coat and sand it and then use some wipe on for the last coat. But I've never tried that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted August 22, 2022 Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 Wipe on exclusively. I do 3 coats for low wear items and 5 coats for table tops. Brushing and wiping is an intersting through. I just HATE brushing poly... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatwad Posted August 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 On 8/22/2022 at 1:30 PM, Chestnut said: Wipe on exclusively. I do 3 coats for low wear items and 5 coats for table tops. Brushing and wiping is an intersting through. I just HATE brushing poly... This will be for a narrow table next to our couch that gets a lot of action. It holds flowers and photo albums and I have a junction box with outlets and USB ports that I will embed into the table top so I probably need a lot of coats. I don't mind though. I spent months making this thing. I would rather the finish be the easiest part! Do you ever use any furniture polish or wax on top of the poly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 22, 2022 Report Share Posted August 22, 2022 I'm with @Chestnut, wiping poly is my go-to finish. It can be really smooth if you allow to dry overnight between coats, and hit it lightly with 400+ grit paper before applying the next coat. Five should be plenty for a tabletop, I usually stop at 3 or 4. I have seen in one of the mags, that you can build a thick coating, allow it to cure hard (several days, minimum), then wet sand and polish it to a mirror-like surface, similar to french polish with shellac. I would only try that on all-flat surfaces, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted August 23, 2022 Report Share Posted August 23, 2022 On 8/21/2022 at 8:46 PM, Meatwad said: How many coats you think would be enough with spray lacquer? 2? 3? 3-4 coats w/ sanding lightly between coats. For a table like you describe, I think poly would be more durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted August 23, 2022 Report Share Posted August 23, 2022 I'm doing a project now with GF High Performance water borne poly. It goes down like a dream and is making me rethink my preference for wipe-on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted August 23, 2022 Report Share Posted August 23, 2022 14 hours ago, Wimayo said: 3-4 coats w/ sanding lightly between coats. For a table like you describe, I think poly would be more durable. This is another consideration. I've done laquor on some small itmes and they suffered water damage. The finish started to peel and flake and really didn't handle the water at all. Poly is more flexible and i'm sure that it wouldn't have handeled the abuse better. 20 hours ago, Meatwad said: Do you ever use any furniture polish or wax on top of the poly? Naa that'd just leave me constantly having to refresh the wax after cleaning. I typically try and use an alcohol based cleaner so the water evaporates quickly. I've done 3-4 coats on all of the tables I've used as well as the arms of my Morris chairs. I don't have coasters in my house so it's a regular basis that sweaty glasses are set directly on the wood. There are no water rings anywhere. The poly coats are thin and may seem like they aren't protecting but keep in mind a thin uniform coating will protect the same as a thick one. The benefit of a thin coating is it's more flexible and can handle abuse better than a thick coating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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