I was wondering if anyone has used sanding sealer to get a smooth finish on plywood before paint? It says it seals wood grain and I know grain has a tendency of rising. Also says it fills small pits and pores.
My dad uses a few different kinds and gets really nice results. The sanding sealer I usually see is a type of shellac, and it's saved me a bunch of problems. I've had poly pull bad things out of oak before, sanding the poly and the ugly stain out, then retouching with sanding sealer, did the job. Pine can also have a lot of resin in it that will make stains and paints splotchy (also learned through hard experience). The sanding sealer fixed that too. Since pine is probably what the surface coat of your plywood is made from, worth putting the sealer on.
I also had some fun recently just using amber shellac. It's a dark colored shellac, which makes it really easy to put on. I used it for my daughter's bed. Since shellac is safe to eat (it's the shiny coating on candy and pills), I didn't worry about the finish. You can sand lightly with 220 or finer, put on another coat, and repeat a couple of times and you'll get a really nice looking finish. I like to top it off with a rubbed-on layer of paste wax (orange sells them in the same aisle). That makes a great looking and durable water-proof finish.
I use sanding sealer (Zinsser Bullseye® SealCoat) for all of my projects. I use it mixed 50/50 with denatured alcohol for a pre stain conditioner, and I also use it full strength for a bond coat between finishes, for examle, an oil based stain topped with water based polycrylic.
claydowling
Mon, 01/31/2011 - 13:02
My dad uses a few different kinds and gets really nice results. The sanding sealer I usually see is a type of shellac, and it's saved me a bunch of problems. I've had poly pull bad things out of oak before, sanding the poly and the ugly stain out, then retouching with sanding sealer, did the job. Pine can also have a lot of resin in it that will make stains and paints splotchy (also learned through hard experience). The sanding sealer fixed that too. Since pine is probably what the surface coat of your plywood is made from, worth putting the sealer on.
I also had some fun recently just using amber shellac. It's a dark colored shellac, which makes it really easy to put on. I used it for my daughter's bed. Since shellac is safe to eat (it's the shiny coating on candy and pills), I didn't worry about the finish. You can sand lightly with 220 or finer, put on another coat, and repeat a couple of times and you'll get a really nice looking finish. I like to top it off with a rubbed-on layer of paste wax (orange sells them in the same aisle). That makes a great looking and durable water-proof finish.
milleall
Tue, 02/01/2011 - 04:04
I use sanding sealer (Zinsser Bullseye® SealCoat) for all of my projects. I use it mixed 50/50 with denatured alcohol for a pre stain conditioner, and I also use it full strength for a bond coat between finishes, for examle, an oil based stain topped with water based polycrylic.