So we all know to use a sealer on our projects before painting to prevent bleeding.
For a while now I (like most people) have been using shellac for a sealer.
But as you know its hard to get paint to adhere to shellac. (it wants to separate the paint)
So a couple of months ago I was at Home Depot to pick up some more shellac.
But I saw this wood sealer and thought I would try it.
So far this stuff is fantastic.
I currently use it and the accompanying polyurethane for finishing after the painting process.
And I’m all about the water clean up.
Wayne,
I use the polyurethane for inside work only.
For outside projects I us Varathane Spar Urethane.
I buy the spray cans and get great results.
This sign has been hanging on my wifes chicken coop for almost 2 years.
I bought some for my floors like a year ago and I had a lot of left over so I started using it for my projects and I like it. Yes, you have to do more coats than oil to get more shine but is expected with water based but is cheaper and it dries pretty fast too so that is a plus!
Sounds like you weren’t using de-waxed shellac. Waxed shellac is for French polishing and topcoats. Gives it that lustre. Dewaxed shellac is for sealing and looks kind of flat when dry. And pretty much everything adheres to it. That’s why it’s such a staple as a “safe” sealer in woodworking under or over all sorts of finishes.
You can buy off the shelf premixed dewaxed shellac. Or when making your own shellac solution, you decant the wax that rises to the top.
The water-based sealers are fine too. But are more prone to making the wood grain swell. And really tricky when using on milled MDF. But when working with waterbased, most shops now just use polyurethane as the sealcoat - whatever they are going to use as top-coat. Saves changeover of materials in sprayers, etc.
Please tell me how you apply this prepping product. You mention painting a couple of times. When finished with your cutting, do you apply your finishing product with a brush, spray can or spray gun? Any help is welcome.
I am sure by now you can tell I am a beginner. I have had a CNC Router for about two years. However, I am not very satisfied with my finishing work on the projects.
Any you may offer I would appreciate
Travis,
You could very well be right about the waxed shellac.
I never really paid attention to that but it sure makes sense.
I won’t be back in my shop until next week some time, but I will certainly check it out.
Thank you.
Frank,
My process is as follows.
carve
apply the sealer with a brush and let it soak in and harden over night
paint with a brush. When I paint i am not at all careful. (I kind of scrub it in the carve)
after paint dries, I sand with 150 grit on an orbital sander
after sanding I apply the poly seal. ( I do all of my finishing with a spray gun as this give the best finnish)
Sometimes I will apply the sealer before carving to help avoid chip out. (especially in MDF)
But I will still reapply after carving to avoid any bleeding
Hope this helps
Let’s say i wanted to paint the piece before I carved it. For instance I have a blank piece of .5 MDF that I want to be all black prior to carving. Would you apply the sealer first then paint the wood or paint then seal and carve?
