Help matching this Pottedy Barn finish...

[Michael Dunn]

I'm now wondering if I may need to tint the sealcoat with a dye. Here's a pic...

I have GF's light, medium, and dark brown dyes. All are WB. Can this be added to the sealcoat?

[John TenEyck]

Micheal, your latest photo looks a lot lighter than the test piece you showed. You said you wiped it off and buffed it, or something like that. I've found the BAC Wiping Stain works well if you brush it on, let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes, then gently wipe it off. If you keep going back over it it will get lighter and lighter. The good news is you've got a gallon of the stuff (Holy cow, I bought a quart and still have 2/3 or more of it left after doing that table.), so you have plenty enough to apply another coat. That would be my first option - of course I'd test it on scrap first.

I'm not familiar with GF's dyes. I use Transtint, and it is soluble in both water based and alcohol based products. I often add it to Sealcoat shellac to make toners that I use to adjust the color of a piece, at any point in the process. Sometimes I add them to GF's WB topcoats to adjust the final color, too.

John

[Michael Dunn]

Here is the finished product installed. My client was thoroughly pleased. I love when that happens.

[John TenEyck]

Nice, very nice. So now I gotta know, what was the final finishing process?

John

[Michael Dunn]

Nice, very nice. So now I gotta know, what was the final finishing process? John

Exactly what you prescribed. Except that I needed it to be darker. Learning curve I guess. This stain gets lighter as you keep rubbing. I'm used to the GF gel stains. That being said, I really enjoyed working with this and will surely use this finishing schedule again and again.

At one point after one coat I actually sanded everything down due to dreaded swirly marks.

1. After sanding to 120 grit and wiping with MS I used my large wool(?) staining pad to apply the stain.

2. I let it sit for 10-12 minutes to darken as much as possible, rubbed with a clean cloth (HD premium rags, what a joke... I HATED these. I prefer Lowes' shop rags that have the cheese cloth on one side.) in a circular motion,

3. Then wiped parallel to the grain, then allowed to dry over night,

4. Sprayed Zinsser Bulls Eye Sealcoat 100% wax free shellac using my Earlex HV-6900,

5, Sprayed 3 coats of GF semi-gloss polyacrylic sanding with 320 (or 400) between but not after the final coat.

6. Lightly ran some super fine steel wool over.

Though this process is technically more steps than my usual it actually can be done it less time. I like the oil based stain that can be top coated in an hour. The alcohol medium that can accept a WB too coat is a great time saver.

Very glad you shared this. I'll be using this as often as possible where applicable.

Thanx!!!

[John TenEyck]

Thanks for the info. Michael. Can't argue with the results. Next time, however, you might want to just wipe parallel with the grain. I think circular wiping leads to wiping off a lot of the stain. As you noted, the BAC Wiping Stain is a whole different animal compared to the GF Gel Stains, and what works best for one doesn't for the other. Just a learning process. Glad you found it worked well for you on this project.

Also, if you like the GF Polycrylic you might want to look at their Enduro Clear Poly. It looks pretty much the same, but is far more chemically durable and has a great UV stabilizer system. Of course, it costs more, but it's still cheap compared to one call from an unhappy customer who left their spilled drink on one of your cabinets.

John

[Phil Thien]

That really came out terrific, I'd be a happy customer, too.

John is right about the Enduro-var being much more durable than polycrylic. In a bathroom I still like varnish, as I find it is more chemically resistance to the stuff that women use in a bathroom. Quite frankly if it were just me the Enduro-var would be sufficient.

[Michael Dunn]

Thanks for the info. Michael. Can't argue with the results. Next time, however, you might want to just wipe parallel with the grain. I think circular wiping leads to wiping off a lot of the stain. As you noted, the BAC Wiping Stain is a whole different animal compared to the GF Gel Stains, and what works best for one doesn't for the other. Just a learning process. Glad you found it worked well for you on this project. Also, if you like the GF Polycrylic you might want to look at their Enduro Clear Poly. It looks pretty much the same, but is far more chemically durable and has a great UV stabilizer system. Of course, it costs more, but it's still cheap compared to one call from an unhappy customer who left their spilled drink on one of your cabinets. John

I'm familiar with that. I built 9 restaurant tops last May. I use the GF Enduro Pre-Car Conversion Varnish. I loved it. No complaints in a new restaurant/bar installation.

$100/gal. Not bad for the value.

[Michael Dunn]

That really came out terrific, I'd be a happy customer, too. John is right about the Enduro-var being much more durable than polycrylic. In a bathroom I still like varnish, as I find it is more chemically resistance to the stuff that women use in a bathroom. Quite frankly if it were just me the Enduro-var would be sufficient.

Thanx Phil! He has a couple more potential projects for me. I'll start another thread for that one. He wants a custom piece like a curio cabinet built to fit a recessed 'nook'. It seems to be made of pine or some similar softwood with a rustic pickled stain.

[Prashun Patel]

Nice results. Thanks for posting. I'll look into this finish for m'self.

[John TenEyck]

I'm familiar with that. I built 9 restaurant tops last May. I use the GF Enduro Pre-Car Conversion Varnish. I loved it. No complaints in a new restaurant/bar installation.

$100/gal. Not bad for the value.

Where did you get GF's Conversion Varnish for $100/gal? It's more like $120 at Homestead Finishing. Maybe we're not talking the same thing. GF's Conversion Varnish is a Post Cat product. Their Pre-Cat product is called PreCat 181, and sells for $70/gal at Homestead.

John

[Michael Dunn]

Wow, just saw this while brushing up on this process as I am using it again. I order from a place called Reliable Finisheds in Arlington Heights, IL.