sanding sealer

[jim sauterer]

do you use sanding sealer on oak.i have used it on pine.just wondering how many use it on all woods.

[Rick Alexander]

I use solvent based NC lacquer and do use a sanding sealer with oak. I think oak needs it more than pine personally since it's such an open grain wood. Sure makes it easier to sand the first couple of coats of sealer and then just spray 2 - 3 coats of finish without sanding between.

Works for me.

[David DeCristoforo]

Sanding sealer is nothing more than a "soft" version of whatever the top coat is. It is "softened" by the inclusion of various additives that make it easier to sand than the "harder" top coat. For this reason, it is tempting to "build" the finish by using several coats of sealer before applying top coats. But this is unwise because the finish will not be as durable since the majority of the "build" is comprised of a softer underlayment. The "best" way is to use only one coat of sealer to "lock" the wood fibers, making it easier to sand away any "fuzz". Then begin building the finish with the top coat material.

PS Any surface finish applied to an open pored wood like oak will be harder to get level because it will take many coats to fill the pores. Better to use a pore filler before applying the finish.

[jim sauterer]

david what do you use for filler and do you stain after filling or before.

[Prashun Patel]

I hate to answer a question w a question, but...

Are you coloring?
Do you want a level surface?
What's yr topcoat?

Sanding sealers are usually used to speed the build process, but are usually unnecessary. You can also speed the build process by 'sealing' with shellac. Dave knows more than I, but I thought the thing about sealers that makes them easy to sand is the fact that they are in fact harder and more brittle than other varnish topcoats, so they sand easier without getting very gummy.

[jim sauterer]

shawn it will be stained with minwax stain.i just never used sanding sealer before.usually just stained and rubbed oil based poly for finish.thanks jim

[Kent A Bathurst]

I pretty much always use 1# - 1.5# ultra pale shellac as a seal coat for everything - derfinitely on QSWO. Except when I am putting down dye (but even then on occasion).

[Prashun Patel]

On oak, that's a pretty good schedule: stain, followed by topcoat.
There's no reason to use a ssealer, since the poly will seal the wood just fine.

If yr trying to fill the pores and achieve a level surface, then a pore filler is a better choice than a sanding sealer.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I used varnish sanding sealer for years but have quit it. The stearate in it which helps in the finish build and makes sanding easier gave things a waxy lookwhich in some instances blurred or muted the appearance of the woodgrain. Oak wasn't as much an issue because of it's bold grain but I didn't like it for other woods. I'm using shellac seal coat now which works better in appearance and sands nearly as well.

[John Thompson]

I use QSWO pretty exclusively as I do A & C styles and I never use a sanding sealer. The sanding sealer will raise the grain but I accomplish that by wiping the surface lightly after the next to last grit of paper with distilled water which is about $2 a gallon at the drug or grocery store. The distilled has had the minerals evaporated out so won't contaminate and affect your finish.

Filler if you want to fill oak but.. I prefer open grain on oak as to me the oak looks better open grain with the style I do. If I were doing more elaborate styles that closed grain is desired.. I would probably be using cherry.. mahogany or walnut to start with. The finish will fill the grain to some degree and after it cures well... a coat of Liberon wax applied with 0000 Liberon steel wool fills the remainer basically. You kill two birds with one stone by application with the steel wool.. you get your final rub out of the finish and application of wax at the same time as I see it.

When doing softwood I use a coat of Zinser no wax seal-coat shellac as the base to keep the softwood from un-evenly absorbing the stain as it has a tendency to do on soft-wood causing splotch. But I suppose the question was about oak.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...what do you use for filler..."

Behlen or Bartley paste wood filler.

"...and do you stain after filling or before..."

That depends of the effect I want. The fillers themselves can easily be colored to match or contrast with the wood. I typically do not stain wood. I like to use the natural wood tones instead.

[Prashun Patel]

The fillers can also contain binders to help set and keep the filler from lifting. That can seal the wood to an extent which impedes subsequent stain penetration.

I'd stain first, then fill. Some people even shoot a barrier coat of shellac on top of the stain to prevent THAT from lifting during pore filling.

I'm with John: unless I were to make a formal or a writing table out of oak, I generally prefer a satin sheen, in which case pore filling doesn't do a whole lot for the look.

[jim sauterer]

shawn and john i am with you.i have been making mission style furniture and normally just stain and seal with poly satin.seems the concensus is leave it open i dont think i would like the end product.thanks everyone.