Need advice on topcoat finish over BAC wiping stain

[Tony Roun]

Hi All, I was struggling to find a wood/stain combo that matched what my wife was looking for to use on an upcoming bedroom furniture build (headboard, footboard, end tables, chest of drawers). I am not extremely experienced in furniture grade finishing. I eventually decided on rift white oak and a custom color of Sherwin Williams BAC wiping stain. The stuff is amazing! I've done some research and understand that the first top coat to go over the wiping stain needs to be sprayed to prevent the stain from lifting. I have no spray equipment or booth in my shop, and am nervous to dive head first into spraying finishes. I see a recommendation of using spray can Zinsser de waxed shellac as a seal coat over the stain, and then you are free to use whatever you want over that seal coat for protection.

I had a few questions, hoping for some advice!

1. If I was hoping to stick with a brush on or wipe on top coat over the seal coat, should I look at varnish or possibly a oil/urethane product like arm-r-seal? Ideally wanting something that brushes on but the brush lines smooth out. Ease of application is important factor.

2. Are there any products that you are aware of that comes in a spray can that is an all-in-one solution that would seal and protect the wood and wiping stain? The guy at Sherwin Williams sprayed some min-wax polyurethane satin directly onto the wiping stain which looked fine, but I think I've read that this product shouldn't be used directly over a wiping stain? Any other spray can products I should be considering?

I may eventually look at spray finishes but haven't done enough research to understand what I'd need in terms of spray guns and ventilation (I have a large compressor).

Thanks!!

[John TenEyck]

Tony, BAC Wiping Stain really is amazing stuff. I've used it several times over rift sawn white oak and it works great. But I know of no good option other than spraying sealer over it to avoid lifting it back off and making a mess. The good news is you can use Zinsser spray can shellac; it's dewaxed and will work just fine. It's not ideal when you have to do a large project but it will work. I'm not aware of any other spray can product as an alternative to the Zinsser shellac. I definitely wouldn't put a poly based product directly over BAC.

John

[Jim Becker]

I agree 100% with John. The spray-bomb de-waxed shellac is certainly not fun for a large project, but it's absolutely doable. I actually keep the stuff around for small to mid-sized stuff simply because the "pain" to use the spray can is less than the pain of setting up a gun with SealCoat, spraying a small project and then cleaning the gun, particularly when the object of the exercise is merely to get a thin barrier coat on over dye/stain before moving on to next steps.

On your top coat question, any oil based wipe on product will likely be a good choice for consistent results. Yes, you do need to put a lot more coats on than you would brushing, but unless you are well skilled at brushing varnish it "might" be safer. But if you're comfortable with brushing varnish, then that's a good application method, too. I honestly don't use oil based products at this point, but in the past when I have done so, I found wiping was far easier than brushing, although I figured out the latter ok.

[Tony Roun]

Jim and John, thank you so much for your responses. The headboard and footboard have sizable panels in the design, so I'm wondering it I should take the dive into spray equipment. If this was your first large furniture project (stain grade), would you rattle can seal coat and then use an oil-based wiping top coat, or would you buy an HVLP sprayer and spray your top coat?

[John TenEyck]

Honestly, I did a lot of large projects before I ever bought a spray system, but I wouldn't want to do them that way anymore. But it's not about me, it's about how you see your future finishing needs. If you plan to do large projects using dyes, clear coats, or paint, I'd seriously consider getting a spray outfit now. On the other hand, if most of your plans revolve around oil/varnish finishes directly on the wood then I wouldn't take the plunge.

Where are you in Western, NY? I'm in Lewiston and you are welcome to come up to my basement shop and see my simple, low cost spray booth and spray equipment. There is a learning curve to spraying, to be sure, but it can be substantially shortened by seeing how others go about it, what equipment they use, etc.

John

[Tony Roun]

John I am about an hour from you, and would love to come see the spray setup you have. I am either going to go all in and learn to spray with HVLP, in which case I think I will dial in a process to spray a seal-coat, and then probably a water-based finish like the Enduro Poly Clear. The other option is to rattle can seal coat, and I think I would use Arm-R-Seal wipe on top coat. Both appear to offer good finish qualities and ease of use in their own respects. I like these both because they don't seem to impart a lot of amber color to the work piece, and both have a satin option which is what I prefer for this project. I am looking to do more furniture grade work in the future, so I am thinking that I may take the jump into spray equipment and just go for it!

[cecil dean]

Honestly, I did a lot of large projects before I ever bought a spray system, but I wouldn't want to do them that way anymore. But it's not about me, it's about how you see your future finishing needs. If you plan to do large projects using dyes, clear coats, or paint, I'd seriously consider getting a spray outfit now. On the other hand, if most of your plans revolve around oil/varnish finishes directly on the wood then I wouldn't take the plunge.

Where are you in Western, NY? I'm in Lewiston and you are welcome to come up to my basement shop and see my simple, low cost spray booth and spray equipment. There is a learning curve to spraying, to be sure, but it can be substantially shortened by seeing how others go about it, what equipment they use, etc.

John

John, I am sure a lot of us would like to see some photos of your setup.
Cecil

[John TenEyck]

John, I am sure a lot of us would like to see some photos of your setup.
Cecil

Cecil, sorry for not answering in a timely manner. I don't have any photos of my spray booth as it's currently configured. Next time I need to spray I'll be sure to take some and enter a post here. I can tell you now it's not sophisticated, which is good, but it works very well for my needs with shellac and WB finishes only.

John