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Thread: Which water based finish to start with?

  1. #1
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    Which water based finish to start with?

    I tried waterborne polyurethanes a decade ago and absolutely hated how they looked. I'm hoping they've gotten better. I'm also contemplating a leap into spray finishing, something I haven't really done except for unhappy experiences with rattle cans. I've got a restoration project now with a lot of complex carving where a sprayed finish might, I think, be easier. I'd also enjoy breathing less solvent.

    Which of the available waterborne finishes will give me a look closest to Arm-R-Seal or a BLO/tung oil/poly blend? Does anything approach the look of a French polish with shellac (not that I'm any good at that)?

    I corresponded with someone at General Finishes and they suggested Enduro-Var. I'm concerned that it appears to be incompatible with a dewaxed shellac undercoat, a technique I've used frequently to seal in dyes. Any thoughts on that?

  2. #2
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    If you want the amber look that comes with an oil finish, there are only a few that provide that. Even so, I still like the oil/wax-free shellac starting point on many species before moving to the waterborne. Most waterbornes are "colder" in color. Hopefully, John T will chime in on the GF side of things, but for Target Coatings, EM2000 is an emulsified alkyd waterborne with a warm coloration--I've used it and liked it. My understanding is that the EM9300 also has a bit of amber in it. Get on Target's mailing list to get their discount codes...the current one for Father's Day is 30% off one order.

    BTW, in all cases where you do use the shellac, you want a minimal thin application....just to seal and/or just to impart color. Too much shellac can sometimes lead to cracking of a waterborne finish laid on top of it.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
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    Roger, at one time GF said it was OK to use dewaxed shellac under EnduroVar. Now they say it isn't. I've been using Sealcoat under EnduroVar for about 10 years with zero problems. None. But I wouldn't recommend EnduroVar for your application anyway. It's not the easiest thing to spray and there's no need for high durability for your application if I understand it correctly.

    I recommend you start by spraying a single coat of Sealcoat (dewaxed) shellac. It will seal the wood and give a warm amber tint to the waterborne finish that follows. The easiest product for me to spray is GF's High Performance poly, although you may need to thin it a little depending upon what gun you are using. HP is dead clear and will look like solvent based lacquer over the Sealcoat. You can further darken the amber tint by adding Transtint Honey Amber dye directly to the HP.

    For higher durability that's just as easy to spray as HP and requires no thinning consider GF's Enduro Clear Poly. Same dead clear appearance, and works just as well over Sealcoat and/or by tinting it with Transtint dye.

    Pick one and make some test panels to determine how to get the look you want.

    I made these cheap red oak plywood corner cabinets to match the aged lacquer of the main cabinets. I got a near perfect color match by spraying a coat of Sealcoat shellac followed by untinted HP Poly.




    Good luck.

    John

  4. #4
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    Thanks to both of you. That gives me two very reasonable sounding starting points, I expect I'll try both and see where it takes me. I was thinking I would order the Qualspray gun Jim recommended a couple days ago and have at it. I'm all for starting with something that will be as easy as possible. I expect to take many practice runs before using it for real.

    Am I correct in assuming there's nothing special about Sealcoat? I do a lot with shellac and make mine up from flakes running the whole color range from near black to "platinum blonde" depending on the project. I have used Sealcoat and it's fine, however I'm never sure how long it has been sitting on the shelf and it isn't available dewaxed, as far as I know, in the darker amber or garnet shades.

  5. #5
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    FYI, John is the one who turned me on to the gun...and I thank him for it.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    You are right, there's nothing special about Sealcoat except it's already made up and it's a bargain. You can buy 2 gallons from HD with no shipping charges for around $75. FWIW, I've never had it go bad on me even after 2+ years. And once I learned that I can make any color shellac I want by adding Transtint dye to Sealcoat I never gave another thought to making my own.

    John

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