How many coats?

[Rick Moyer]

What guidelines do you use in determining when enough is enough? My example: I built an oak bookcase. I applied one coat of BLO with a rag and let it dry. I then applied two coats of de-waxed shellac (sprayed) with a light 400 grit wet sand in between coats. I think I will now spray USL over that, but I don't know how many coats of it I should spray, or even if I should spray more shellac first. What does one use to decide how much buildup or coloring or whatever is adequate?

[Steve Schoene]

It is very much an aesthetic issue, though you may find some limits expressed in the USL technical data sheet. Over oil and two coats of shellac, the wood is likely to be well sealed, so even one or two coats may serve just fine. Oak with unfilled pores looks best to me with a very thin finish.

[Jim Becker]

What Steve said. If my gun is adjusted properly, two coats/three at the most is what I spray with USL. And all of that happens in a matter of a couple hours at the most.

[Rick Moyer]

Thanks guys. I'll try to post a pic when done.

[Rick Moyer]

Hopefully there are two pics attached. I used one coat of BLO, two sprayed coats of shellac and three sprayed coats of USL.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very nicely done Rick!

[Harold Piper]

What is USL?

[Jim Becker]

What is USL?

Target Coatings USL is a water borne acrylic finish that mimics many of the desirable characteristics of lacquer, including burn-in.
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Nice job, Rick!

[Jim Summers]

excellent bookcase.

[Joe Chritz]

Some finishes have a maximum thickness it can be applied. Most pre-cat lacquer for one example. NC lacquer or Shellac burn in completely and can be sprayed coat over coat.

I occasionally use three coats of USL but nearly always it is a light barrier coat of thinned seal coat (about 1 1/2 lb cut) and then two coats USL

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that a second shellac coat won't help (except for coloration, which is why I haven't switched from oil stains yet) and that the final coat is good once it has a complete film build up. Since that is hard to judge a couple coats is sufficent.

Joe