Red Oak Leveling?

[Adam Cavaliere]

I am finishing a coffee table top that I have made out of Red Oak. I am trying to level it after applying a polycrylic finish. I have been able to sand out the sheen on the portions where the grain isn't dark. The dark parts are holding their sheen though.

Can you guys give me some tips on how to fix this?

[Joe Chritz]

Did you fill the grain with a pore filler before finishing? If not you are going to have to fill the grain before you can do any sanding out. I expect what you are seeing is the flat areas are getting sanded and the pores aren't because they are at a different level than the rest of the top.

Do a search for grain filler and you will see a lot of posts about it.

Joe

[Adam Cavaliere]

Thanks for the response. I wish I had realized this before I had started. I think I am too far into it to use pore filler now. I think I am going to have to just keep layering and leveling until I have filled them in. This looks like it is going to be a drawn our process. Live and learn I guess!

[Joe Chritz]

Shellac is sometimes used in the process. There may be a thickness maximum on the arcylic finish that would keep you from using it as a filler.

If you do a test you may find that you can still use a grain filler. I put it on over a shellac wash coat so it may go over the polycryillic fine.

I would strongly recommend doing a test on a scrap piece first. FWIW, I use Behlen's pore-o-pak.

Joe

[Adam Cavaliere]

After doing some reading, I think I may have put too much on (much more than a washcoat) for it to work well now.

I'd be interested in knowing what you mean about the maximum thickness. Do you mean it will start to get cloudy, or something like that?

[Steve Schoene]

You will be sanding away enough finish that you won't have a chance to build a finish so thick that it might have crazing problems. If you haven't stained or dyed the wood surface, you can probably sand just to the point of sand through You will have to keep sanding until there are no more shiny spots. Then, wait a few weeks and repeat the process since as the cure is completed the finish will likely shrink a bit into the pores.

[Mark Lambert]

I like to use a high build nitro lacquer. Just keep coating and sanding until it's water flat.

Then buff with an Aberlon pad until you reach the sheen your looking for.

Mark

[Adam Cavaliere]

As an update to my problem, I am getting further along. Put down some more coats of the water based polycrylic and have leveled a few times. I am almost at the point where all of the deeper pores have been filled in.

This weekend I picked up grain filler and am going to experiment with it. What is the standard way of applying this? I picked up "neutral". I also tend to stain what I build if that matters.

[Joe Chritz]

You are grain filling with the finish. If you get to the point where when you sand back you get a uniform dull finish that means the surface is now all flat and you can finish normally from there.

The grain filler would take the place of 87 coats of finish and hours of sanding on deep pore wood like red oak.

I have had luck staining the filler after, or you can pre tint it with a number of things and apply that way. Multiple coats with long dry times worked best for me with filler.

Joe

[Adam Cavaliere]

I was leveling the other night and sadly I broke through the finish and hit the stain. It is a small round spot, about the size of a dime. I tried applying stain to it, but it isn't taking that well. I have a feeling no matter what I am going to somewhat see that spot. Am I correct in that assumption?