My husband has just made a nightstand that has 2 types of veneer on the top – sapele & etiome. Before I put a finish on this piece, I decided to experiment with some scrap pieces. I’m using a brushed on semi-gloss varnish finish on one and a hand-rubbed shellac finish on the other. I have found that, especially with the shellac, I am seeing a lot of the wood pores – which is not the look I was going after. Should I be using a pore filler first? If so, is there any one in particular I should use? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I’m a novice finisher – so any advice about handing rubbing with shellac (as I think this is the finish I like best) would also be helpful!
Thanks!
Replies
BHD,
We face similar problems. I was given some advice by someone who should have more experience than I. My intention is to fill pores with a darker filler while not darkening the wood itself. His advice: wash coat with wax-free shellac then fill the pores with dark filler. The filler would be natural color tinted as dark as I want. I haven't done this yet as my project is not finished, but it may just work. I plan to sand lightly after pore filling with 220 - 320 grit. I figure that will remove the shellac except from the pores which are filled anyway. He emphasized the importance of using wax-free shellac. Final finish could be more shellac or lacquer or varnish.
Cadiddlehopper
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled