All,
I've researched quite a few threads on finishing cherry and before I make any mistakes, I have a few remaining questions for a cherry bed I'll be finishing soon:
1. Is BLO used as an initial coat to pop the grain, act as a colorant, or both? If it's used to pop the grain, then that would be the reverse of controlling blotchiness, correct?
2. If Zinsser's Sealcoat is used to control blotchiness as an initial coat, can dye be added to it as a colorant? If so, would the dye cause blotchiness on cherry since the dye would absorb differently based on grain pattern?
3. For a spit coat of shellac, do you recommend cutting the Sealcoat to a 1 lb. cut, instead of the 2 lb. cut from the can? If so, would it be accurate enough to use a 1:1 ratio of Sealcoat to DNA to achieve the 1 lb. cut since it's now a volume to volume comparison but with shellace already mixed in? Or, should I use the 2 lb. cut to better control the blotchiness?
My initial plan was to use a spit coat Sealcoat, followed by several coats of GF's brown mahogany gel stain, and then use several coats of GF's satin Arm-R-Seal poly with a light sanding between coats with 320 grit. With the gel stain, I'm concerned about hiding the grain of the cherry but I'm looking for a medium brownish/slightly reddish color. I've thought about setting it out in the sun for several days to help expedite the darkening process to minimize the coats of gel stain.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Brett