I am looking for a flat, smooth surface and hope to build to a satin finish. I don’t have time to build coats and rub out a finish.
I bought the table at a garage sale, probably a 40-50 year old factory piece, with what I thought was a lacquer finish, but it could have been shellac. The legs were beat up and much of the finish on the top was damaged. I removed most of the finish with lacquer thinner until I ran out and dissolved most of the rest with denatured alcohol. I have sanded it from a 150 down to a 220 grit.
Should I use a paste wood filler, at least on the top?
If I do what are the best options for a finish that will be ready in five or six days.
Replies
Since you seem to be in a hurry I would wipe on 6-8 coats of wipe on varnish.
Thanks, that is what I was thinking.
Are you talking about a Waterlox or Danish Oil type finish? And, would you use a paste wood filler first?
Danish oil is usually a mix of oil and varnish and not meant to build a film on the surface. Waterlox will give you a much nicer finish in this situation. It dries to a nice mellow gloss--not supper shiny, but not dull satin either.
A pore filler can be used, and will give a nice effect on mahogany, which is often finished formally. However, oil based pore fillers do require considerable drying time before the top coat can be applied. Twenty-four hours is not enough--I usually wait a week. Only go by the manufacturers recommendations if the temperature in your finishing space is over 68° or 70° for the entire period, and relative humidity is below 50%.
John, I'm assuming you need to use the table in 6 days? First, this is an insane deadline for finishing. Under such expections, Murphy is going to laugh his you-know-what off. Don't be surprised if something goes wrong, completely shutting down your finishing schedule. There are only 2 finishes that can actually dry in your time limit, lacquer and shellac and only one I would count on - shellac. Then I would refinish later when you can actually do it right. No oil, varnish or oil/varnish preparation will be ready for use in less than several weeks. 220 grit is ok for final sanding. Do not attempt to fill the wood. Spray a light, but evenly wet coat of 2# shellac (for shellac or lacquer as the final) or a sanding sealer (if lacquer will be the final). Allow an hour to dry. Shellac will raise the grain (this is good). Sand either the shellac or sanding sealer with 220, taking the nibs or grain down evenly. Spray another light coat of shellac if shellac will be the final or lacquer if that will be the final. Allow an hour to dry, sand lightly again with 220. Spray again and let sit overnight. 2nd day, sand lightly with 320, spray, allow an hour to dry, spray again, allow 2 hours to dry, spray again. 3rd day, sand lightly with 320, the surface should level out very well, with no shiny valleys of finish between matte areas. Spray a full wet coat, allow 2 hours to dry, spray another coat, allow 2 hours to dry. Spray final full coat. Allow to dry for 2 days, then sand evenly with 320, then 400 wet-or-dry, lubricated with mineral spirits, then 4-0 steel wool with mineral spirits. You should have a soft, semi-gloss sheen that you can use the next day. Rich
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