application help zinsser seal coat.

[Luis Oliveira]

Hi all,

I am in desperate need for help. I built an entertaiment center and decided to use zinsser seal coat + transtint brown Mahogany to seal + tone the cabinets, the cabinet is plywood with pecan frame.

The problem I am having is that this product is not easy to brush (using a foam brush) and I am having runs and overlaps that get too dark. I can see this product would have been easy to apply if I spray before assemably, not it is too late and it is ruining my project.

How can I apply this product so that it covers very uniformily and without much problem.

Any help would be much appreaciated.

luis

[Alex Berkovsky]

The problem I am having is that this product is not easy to brush (using a foam brush)

Luis,
I am no expert, but I don't think you can accomplish quality results with a foam brush. You may need to spend some money on a good quality brush. You can pick one up from Homestead finishing.

Some good reading material:
2nd paragraph from the bottom
Linky

[Jim Becker]

Shellac should be applied with a quality brush...and foam brushes don't quality for that. They are fine for touchups with house paint, but are not going to cut it for finishes that you need to be able to control. Invest in a good quality brush for your shellac and dedicate it to the task. In fact, you should have one dedicated to de-waxed product (like seal coat or de-waxed flakes you dissolve yourself) and one for waxy shellac....don't mix them up.

Shellac also requires a different technique than brushing varnish...the solvent (alcohol) evaporates very quickly, so you need to get it on and then get away from it. You don't want to over brush or visit an area that has started to cure. Work the wet edge and move quickly. Practice really helps a lot and shellac is inexpensive.

[Luis Oliveira]

Thanks Jim, Alex.

I do have some very nice brushes, but the key is that I am making too many strokes, and hence all the trouble I am having.

I wish I would have thought to finish the inside before the glue up. I would have come out very nice.

luis

[Alex Berkovsky]

Luis,
You did say that you have a sprayer. Why didn't you spray the unit even if it was already assembled?

[Luis Oliveira]

I am using the sprayer for the outside, I tried spraying in the inside and I made a mess hence why I am writting for help. I am not very good at it, actually it is my first time using the sprayer, when I tried using it for the inside of the cabinet I find that my motion is not smooth and I created lots of runs which I had to fix, so I when back to brushing.

Another thing I did is that the cabinet is fully built, even the back is already (glued and nailed) attached, and with my experience, I am not able to get a good flow to have good coverage.

I tried spot stripping yesterday night and I am able to get the inside a bit better, I just need to think of a better way since I have a few more pieces to stain.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Another thing I did is that the cabinet is fully built, even the back is already (glued and nailed) attached.

Luis,
Too bad that you glued the back - it's definitelly easier to spray inside if the back if removed, otherwise you get all that overspay in your face.

[Malcolm Young]

Luis, If Jim's suggestion of using a quality brush doesn't suit you, I think I would try padding the shellac on the inside portions of you project with a rag folded/balled up with no creases on the bottom, and maybe thin the Seal coat down just a little to about a 1 and one-half pound cut - especially to start off with.

You can even out the ridges created by the foam brush and start to build a more even coat. Of course the corners will be more difficult, but with the pad, you can see results quickly and re-apply shortly there after, up to several coats in an hour. One coat can repair the previous one.

Once you apply the shellac with the transtint, you may want to go to just clear seal coat to avoid over tinting or streaking. With the extra coats needed with padding, I'm not sure how the tint will behave.

Experiment and see how it works. The thing about shellac is if you have to you can easily remove the finish with DNA and start over.
Good Luck,
Malcolm

[Luis Oliveira]

Thanks Malcolm, I will give your advise a try.
I will also try Jim advise on the brush. he he he at this point I would try anything...

Regards,
luis