Topcoat over Latex Paint

[Artisanbilt]

Hey Marc,

I just did a set of built-ins for a customer and made the mistake of using SW Acrylic Latex semi-gloss. So, now I've got the blocking issue I'm trying to get rid of. It is my understanding that I can topcoat this with a water-based polycrylic to solve this problem. So, any advice on this would be appreciated. How long do I need to wait before topcoating? Your thoughts on using Minwax Polycrylic? I'm not a huge fan of Minwax but this is readily available locally. Finishing in place (customer's home) so will I get good results with a brush?

Thanks again,

Ken

[thewoodwhisperer]

Hey Ken. You should be able to topcoat with your choice of water-based finishes. And it should be ready to coat after a day or two. Minwax Polycrylic really isn't all that bad so I say go for it. Now you can certainly get decent results with a brush, but I would absolutely suggest you get a little practice in the shop. Get used to moving fairly quickly since you don't have much time to work before things start to tack up. Also be sure to test the visual effect with a painted surface. I would definitely get the client to approve before doing the work on the actual piece.

[Artisanbilt]

Thanks for the reply Marc. My other research showed that General Finishes had a pretty good product. I was able to find some about an hour away so I'm trying it. I went with the satin as it seems to match pretty closely to the semi-gloss finish of the paint. I was curious if I should lightly sand the sheen off the paint before I apply the topcoat. I tried it on a sample to make sure it wouldn't show sand marks and it seemed to be ok but just not sure if it's necessary.

[AceHoleInOne]

Yep a light scuff with 320, then clean your surface. You should be fine!

-Ace-