Finishing Mission Buffet in oak or maple

[jason lambert]

I am about to take on another large project I need to make some furniture for my house now that I have a shop set up. My question is how do I finish an oak or maple cabinet. In the past when I made tables I used polyurethane and did about 6 coats on the top and 4 on the face pieces then waxed with car polish something high in carnauba. This has worked fine but I see people pre sealing, buffing things and finishing systems and there has to be something new besides the home depo Minwax polycrylic.

What is the best for a semi glass finish in a golden oak color. Do I just stain do I hit the wood first with mineral spirits? Is there a good finishing book out there or guide? I don't want to get to carried away but I want a nice finish and I always drip anyhow with poly is spraying in the back yard better? :confused:

[Nancy Laird]

Jason, we finish ALL of our red oak furniture as follows:

Brush and wipe on Moser's natural stain, let dry overnight.

Spray one coat of sanding sealer, let dry, then sand lightly with 400 grit. Wipe down to get rid of the dust, then three coats of clear lacquer (no need to sand between coats).

The advantage of lacquer is that if you get a scratch or a water ring or a lightly burned spot, you can sand it down and fill in the damaged spot with a couple of coats of lightly brushed-on lacquer and you will never see the spot that was damaged.

We have finished many, many pieces of furniture with this method, and every one looks like the day it was finished--even my 20-plus-year-old display cabinet.

Just our method. Spraying the lacquer is THE way to go. No runs, no drips, no errors.

Nancy

[jason lambert]

What brand of lacquer? and do I need to thin it? Also what do I spray it with can you send me a link to a gun that is not to much. Will this give me that high end look that people like to touch?

Thanks for your fast reply and advice.

[Nancy Laird]

Jason, we use Behlen Qualalacq sanding sealer, lacquer thinner, and lacquer. The lacquer comes in a high gloss and satin sheen. J.E. Moser's also has a premium spray lacquer which is more expensive, and the Behlen's suits our needs just fine. We formerly used Deft, which is also very good. They all have to be thinned. Here's a link to an on-line catalog from Woodworker's Supply - http://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=848-754 - that tells thinning ratios and the various uses for the lacquer. (The prices on this page may not be YOUR price - you'll have to check with sales for your pricing-these are PRO prices).

Spray guns run the gamut from $39.99 for a gravity-fed to $115.29 for a PC HVLP gun, to $900.00 for a Fuji Q4 PRO HVLP 4-stage system. We have the PC PSH1 HVLP gun ($115.29) which works perfectly in our shop. It needs a 3.5hp compressor (which I presume that you have). Other guns don't require as large a compressor.

This method will definitely give you a high-end look - very touchable and deep.

Good luck.

Nancy

[Kent E. Matthew]

Nancy the only time I have ever used a sanding sealer was many years ago. I don't remember the name. Only that the manufacturer recommended that this stuff by wiped on across the grain. I didn't use it on my project because it altered the stain I was using to the point where I just didn't like the look.

Does the sealer you use alter the final stained color? I was using red oak at the time and this stuff just would not let the red come out in the wood.

[Nancy Laird]

Kent, no, the sanding sealer doesn't alter the stain color at all. This is a lacquer-based sanding sealer that gets sprayed on. We have used the type you used and don't like it at all; it's more of a grain filler than a sanding sealer. I can send you some pictures of our oak stuff and the pictures really show the red in the oak. Let me know if you want to see.

Nancy

[jason lambert]

I was hoping to find something I could get locally that I don't need shipped since they will not ship gallons to NJ. This looks like it will work though thanks again for the feedback. Any other sugestions. I think spraying is the way to go though from what I read.

[Nancy Laird]

You might be able to get the Behlen's at a GOOD local hardware or paint store. I'd call around - let your fingers do the walking.

Nancy