Once applied, it also holds polish very well and can be polished for an even better finish. Always remember that with lacquer, less is more (so to speak). DIRECTIONS Prepare existing surfaces first by cleaning well. If you google wood finishes you should find lots of info on lacquer and its uses. Over Mineral Oil Waterlox products can be applied over mineral oil as long as it is very dry. When you work on antiques most of the time you can just touch up the finish with lacquer. This can be with a spray system. Mineral Oil. Brushing lacquer is available also. This is not the end of the world, though. Oct-10-2013, 7:59am. Although nitrocellulose lacquer can be applied by brush (with the addition of retarder ), it is best applied, as intended, with proper spray equipment and some kind of ventilation hood or booth. Lacquer goes over some poly - but not the same poly that will go over lacquer. Some poly goes over lacquer. If another coat is deemed necessary then, once again, this can be applied over the previous coat once this has become tacky. But, spray lacquer dries too fast to be brushed on. Definitely! General Finishes Gel Stains contain urethane, which allows the gel stains to be used for finishing over existing top coats, stains, and paints.. One good coat is all you need. Lacquered projects can be gift-ready when other finishes are still stuck in mid-cure. As far as your spray gun goes, denatured alcohol cleans up shellac better than lacquer thinner. Try it on a scrap piece first as you may need to experiment with dyes in the shellac to get the colour match just right. It isn't unusual to clear-coat an acrylic paint finish on a metal surface, such as on an automobile, with CAB-acrylic or acrylic lacquer. Don't over-do the shellac when you're top coating with lacquer; you want to keep the shellac thin. The easiest way for a lacquer coating to be applied is by spraying, but it can also be brushed or wiped on with a rag. If you are talking about spraying lacquer over the polyurethane and the poly is well aged, you might be able to get away with it by spraying light well-thinned coats of the lacquer. This makes lacquer ideal for modern pieces of furniture. The very best way to apply lacquer is to spray it. Lacquer can discolor over a … Greg Williams: The best I’ve used is a shellac sealer from Zinsser called SealCoat. Because lacquer is typically applied in thin coats, you can often touch up the finish without having to sand and reapply an entirely new coat. Lacquer can be used on most woods, but it cannot be used on mahogany and rosewood; the oils in these woods will bleed through the finish. When you spray lacquer over a solvent-based acrylic finish, they combine to form a hybrid film, even if the acrylic is pigmented to form a paint. Under Lacquer Lacquer should not be used over any Waterlox products. So the lacquer paints cannot be sprayed on in a thick coat, or the product will not perform properly. Lacquer needs multiple coats to build sufficient film thickness. Or with aerosol cans. After you have applied as many coats as you feel necessary, allow the final coat to dry for at least 24 hours. Type of Finish: Penetrating. We used Johnson’s paste wax on the lacquer and to this day it is a great finish. However, the rule of thumb... depends on who you talk to. It works by restoring the existing finish. I recently completed construction on a project. Note: brushing lacquer sprays on perfectly well! Too thick and it can lead to pre-mature cracking/crazing down the road. When the spraying method is used, care must be taken to begin in one area and work outwards. Lacquer is NOT thinned with alcohol. Warmoths is similarly... pretty tough stuff. The main drawback of lacquer thinner solvent based finishing is the hazardous nature of … Even if it has varnish on it, its so old, hard and dry you can get away with putting lacquer over it as long as you don't flood a wet coat on it. Lacquer goes over shellac and vice versa, pretty well. The main one is that your lacquer's solvent may be 'hotter' than alcohol and if so the shellac will be soluble in it, which can lead to crazing after application. Lacquer can be used to create anything from a deep matte finish to a very high gloss shine. The two easiest ways to avoid problems are to spray se When using a brush only natural bristles should be used, and when wiping it on a clean, cotton cloth should be used. High-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) spray equipment proves best for application because it greatly reduces bounce-back and overspray compared with conventional high-pressure spray guns. Lacquer works best as a spray finish, applied to dry wood finish-sanded to at least 220 grit. That changed with the development of nitrocellulose lacquer in the early 1920s. It is also very durable and is used to protect the wood from the elements. Years ago in school we oiled cedar chests to bring out the grain then we used lacquer over it. Hmm. It is a simple wipe-on, wipe-off process. Yes, Minwax® Lacquer Sanding Sealer can be applied over Minwax® Wood Finish™ stains, Minwax® Water Based Stains and Minwax® Gel Stains. Lacquer goes over it ok. Shellac is … Therefore, if you are looking to paint over a surface with lacquer as the finish, ensure that you sand the surface before you can go ahead with the application of the pain. HOW TO: USE OIL BASE GEL STAINS OVER EXISTING FINISHES. A pre catalyzed lacquer is better, and a post catalyzed is even better. Once it's dry, I've successfully overcoated it with oil varnish, shellac, lacquer, and water based finishes. There are risks to spraying any type of solvent lacquer over any existing, and older, paint or finish. I knew parts of the project would not be accessible after construction so I used some spray on lacquer to get into the tight spaces. However, it can change color over time and will eventually scratch with continued wear and tear. It seems that would be the best of both worlds. It’s this makeup that allows to provide a particularly intense gloss finish – it contains a solution of shellac in alcohol, which produces a resilient synthetic coating. Wait at least 2 weeks after the last application of mineral oil. I've occasionally used it as stain under film finishes. For aspiring woodworkers, choosing the right finish can seemingly be a difficult task at least at first. Lacquer can be over-coated with other lacquer, paints, or enamels and acrylics. Several coats, thinly applied. Bill Snyder. I have a 50 year old chest that still looks like new. Won't work. Then the shellac goes on top of the gel stain as a top layer finish. You might ask to see samples. Add several more thin coats of lacquer. Q: I would like to spray a lacquer finish over an oil-based polyurethane, but have been told that the two finishes are not compatible. I would think anything you can use over oil based stain would work for sure. Can I use Restor-A-Finish on lacquered pieces? Unlike varnish, lacquer is a type of solvent based product. The new lacquer dried even faster, and it could be applied using spray guns. Note: If you choose to stain prior to applying Minwax® Lacquer Sanding Sealer, be careful not to sand the sealer so aggressively that you go through to the stain and damage the color. There are drawbacks to lacquer however. Under water base, it needs to be absolutely dry, or barrier coated with dewaxed shellac, before applying the finish. Nothing touches Fender's "poly" finish. Generally, lacquer is a poor finish when compared with many other finishes. However lacquer may not be the best bet here for a couple of reasons. This is because the most popular types of topcoats, varnish, lacquer, polyurethane, and shellac have advantages and disadvantages which makes them best suited for particular types of settings. David’s Answer:. Lacquer will tend to flow out creating a glassy finish over the course of a few minutes so be patient. We have done quite a bit of lacquer over acrylic paints,use it for cabinets,with a decorative glaze in the detail then put lacquer over it. Wood is a substance that moves and changes with climate, treatment and age, as do the finish coatings that are applied to it. Question from a Student: For high traffic areas, does it make any sense in spraying a protective lacquer finish, after applying the Linseed and Tung Oil finish. Applying lacquer does not have to be as daunting of a task as some make it out to be. For these reasons, lacquer is a good undercoat for any other paint product. Following is some basic advice for applying lacquer with a spray can, brush, and rag. But it was the Europeans who elevated decoupage to an art form. Lacquer can be used on most woods, but it cannot be used on mahogany and rosewood; the oils in these woods will bleed through the finish. Lacquer paints dry to a hard shell, leaving a very thin paint film. One coat is not enough. Of course you need to test in a inconspicuous place to be sure. The problem is the lacquer thinner in the lacquer. Applying pre-cat lacquer. A wet application can cause many paints and finishes to wrinkle or blister, even an old coat of lacquer itself. Lacquer also comes in various sheens. This is not a will happen, but some testing is … The fundamental issue of course is that the thinners in lacquer when applied over reactive or coalescing finishes act like a stripper; softening and swelling the original finish and leaving a mess. Avoid the temptation to over-apply the lacquer, as more problems are created by too much than not enough lacquer. Best of all, an infinite colour palette was opened up. Nitrocellulose was adopted quickly by the car industry and remained the finish … There was a little over-spray on the outside parts but I didn't worry at the time. Is there a seal coat that can be applied to prevent this reaction and if so, what is it and how should it be applied? The safest thing to do is to use dewaxed shellac over the poly and then you can go to the lacquer without worry. Restor-A-Finish does not contain tung oil, linseed oil, polyurethane, or any other type of finish. Lacquer can be used over lacquer-base, non-grain-raising (NGR), and water stains, and over lacquer-base fillers. I've found it to be more of a problem with conventional varnishes than with polyurethanes but it is always a risk. Laquer is thinned with alcohol so any water or oil based finish will work over the lacquer sealed wood. Yes, you can, but normally one coat of shellac is applied before the gel stain as well. In Italy, apprentices applied up to 15 coats of varnish to create a lacquer finish. Can lacquer be applied over oil based finish Post by Millu » Wed Nov 02, 2011 5:49 pm I want to apply a more protective top coat over an existing finish on wooden boards finished in a green colour that I'm not 100% positive how they're finished. But for a wooden picture frame, you don't have to apply nearly as many coats – even just half as much will result in a gleaming lacquer finish. Lacquer thinner will most likely soften or damage the Waterlox products. Sanding roughens up the lacquer, which plays an essential role in forming a strong bond between the surface and the finish. First post on this sub- because the talent here can be a bit intimidating. Lacquer can be used over lacquer-base, non-grain-raising (NGR) and water-base stains and over lacquer-base fillers. With luck, applying the finish on your next project may take less time than reading about how it’s done. 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