I am finishing a table and have just completed staining the white oak. I plan to apply a barrier coat and then apply a gel stain as a glaze. In reading the varius articles on this site it seems that Shellac is the prefered finish to use as a Barrier coat. However, I have Waterlox Original Sealer and Finish on hand and would like to use that. Is shellac really better? If so can I use Zinsser Sealcoat for this purpose?
Thanks
Cheers,
Velo
Replies
Hi Velo,
Instead of a barrier coat which isolates one layer in a finish from another layer, I think you're looking for info on a washcoat which partially seals the wood before using a stain or glaze. There's some detail on washcoating at this link - Using a Washcoat.
You certainly can use Waterlox as a washcoat. Two key points are to thin it as needed to get the desired effect from your stain/glaze and to let it dry for a day before you use the stain/glaze. It's basically the same thing as using one of the oil-base stain controllers that are available.
Make sure to do a good size sample before committing on the actual piece you want to glaze just to make sure it looks the way you want it to.
http://www.finishwiz.com
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