Black Lacquer Finishing

[Tom Baker]

Hello all, this is my first post in this forum though I've been lurking and commenting in the General and Neanderthal forums.
I work at the Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN.
It opened in September 1980 and the furniture supplied was spec'd late 70's.

All of the lobby furniture was of a clear varnish finished rounded over end Oak slabs as uprights with cushioned surfaces in either chair or bench configuration.

Very utilitarian and they have served the test of time but the time has come.

I am having the the pieces disassembled, and sanded down. I want to apply a Black Lacquer finish to the slabs. The upholstery will be be redone in a black fabric with a contemporary print that brings a lot of pattern and color to the piece. The wall coloring will pick up from the fabric.

Now to the ready to finish slabs.

I've had great luck and results from spray can Black Lacquer paints in my home home products.

This project has enough pieces to pull out the HVLP Sprayer.

The questions are:
1. Is black lacquer the right choice? I want a gloss black finish that allows the wood grain to appear. Do not want a thick coat of paint. It also has to durable. It's in a lobby that serves 10,000/year. The scheme could actually expand to all of our lobbies and we serve over 300,000 patrons per year.

2. IF I'm thinking right, where do I find Black Lacquer for a Spray gun system? I'd spend a fortune buying enough in spray cans at the BORG and am having difficulty finding it by the gallon on the Web.

3. IF I'm thinking right, I'd prefer a Water Based product but I'm relying on the experts here for their recommendations.

Please let me know if I can provide any other answer to your questions.

I LOVE this website!

[Jamie Buxton]

I recently completed a kitchen which is black lacquer over oak. From twenty feet away, you just see the black color. Up close, the grain texture telegraphs through the lacquer, and you realize there's wood under there! It is quite a cool effect.

I used a water-borne "lacquer" with a black pigment added, and sprayed it with an HVLP. The lacquer is Target Coating's Emtech 8000. (http://www.targetcoatings.com/emtech-8000.html) I added my own universal colorant to color it. However, you can buy Target's coatings with the pigment already added from Homestead Finishing (www.homesteadfinishing.com)

[Steven Triggs]

I didn't even realize you could get water based lacquer. Is it considered as "good" as solvent based lacquer? As you know, spraying solvent based lacquer is nasty. The smell is awful, and it is really harsh on your respiratory system. Does using water based make it a lot less "bad" to deal with? I assume it would?

[Jamie Buxton]

I didn't even realize you could get water based lacquer. Is it considered as "good" as solvent based lacquer? As you know, spraying solvent based lacquer is nasty. The smell is awful, and it is really harsh on your respiratory system. Does using water based make it a lot less "bad" to deal with? I assume it would?

Well, it isn't really lacquer -- if you equate "lacquer" to "nitrocellulose lacquer." The world of waterborne finishes needs words to describe their products, so they use "varnish" and they use "lacquer", but the waterborne finishes aren't exactly the stuff we grew up with. The chemistry is much more complex. The waterborne I cited has some of the characteristics of lacquer -- in particular, the fact that subsequent coats do burn into the previous ones, so there are no witness lines if you sand into it. It also cures quickly; I can sand a coat ten minutes after application.

Spraying waterbornes is much better on your body and on the environment than nitrocelluose lacquer. The smell isn't as bad, and the fluids aren't toxic.

I think the waterborne I cited is a more durable finish than nitro. Cured, it resists more chemicals, and is more scratch-resistant.

[Steven Triggs]

Thanks for the info. That sounds very appealing. I will have to give it a try the next time I'm spraying a finish.