Lacquer and table finishing

[Keeley Shields Balyk]

Anyone have any tips on refinishing furniture?
I just started and would love some product suggestions (canadian)
Also I have a question.
Can I paint on top of lacqure and recoat it with lacqure or is that not a good idea? I love the wood already and don't want to damage it just want to put a design on top.

[Jim Becker]

Paint on top of lacquer is fine...just abrade it so that your paint has good adhesion. And for a table, you also want a 100% acrylic paint or an oil based paint, not "house paint". It will be "sticky" (that's called "blocking") to objects you might set on it with "house paint". 100% acrylics don't usually have that issue.

Solvent based lacquer is a no-go on top of most other finishes. The solvents in lacquer dissolve most other finishes...and not in a kind way. You also don't want to get involved with solvent based lacquers unless you have a proper environment and equipment to work with it for safety reasons. It can be quite dangerous in multiple ways. There are great water borne "lacquers" available, which are really 100% acrylics and they also come in colors, so you can use them as an alternative to the "paint" for your first step and then add additional clear protective coats of a compatible clear product, usually from the same manufacturer. I'm not sure what's available in your geography for that.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with Jim, you can also put new lacquer over old lacquer with no problem. The solvents in the new lacquer will soften and allow the new finish to bond with the old lacquer.

[Patrick Chase]

Solvent based lacquer is a no-go on top of most other finishes. The solvents in lacquer dissolve most other finishes...and not in a kind way.

If you're spraying then you can sometimes make this work by doing several thin/dry "dusting coats". The idea is to slowly build the lacquer without laying down enough solvent to blister or otherwise trash whatever is underneath. You'd want to practice that a bunch on stuff you don't care about though. I can sort of do it, but with some variability to my results.

Of course it's a moot point here in CA, at least until the next stopover in Reno.