finishing schedule compatibility

[Trey Isbell]

I am in the process of finishing my entertainment center that I built out of cherry and was wondering if this schedule is compatible.

Half # cut of sealcoat shellac for a wood conditioner to reduce blotching
Minwax gel stain
Now I want to use laquer as the topcoat should I use another sealcoat of shellac over the gel stain and then laquer over the shellac. I am a little scared of laquer because I know it will disolve just about anything, last time I used it over an oil based glaze it gave me all kinds of problems.

{Should I just forget the laquer and go ahead and finish with regular shellac and be done with it.} any suggestions

Thanks Trey

[Jim Becker]

Why are you going to use the gel-stain? You have all that wonderful cherry and gel stain will pretty much cover it up and potentially obscure the grain since it sits on top of the wood.

As long as you are spraying your lacquer (I assume you have all the proper safety gear and precautions to do so) a barrier coat of shellac will be fine over the gel stain if you choose to use it.

For cherry, I do one application of BLO to pop the grain, de-waxed shellac to seal as well as tone (there are different "colors" of shellac and I like garnet on cherry) and then the top coat of choice. For me, that's normally water borne, either Target Coatings USL or more recently, Target Coatings Hybrivar. I will not spray solvent-based lacquer in my shop. Too dangerous.

[Ron Brese]

Trey,

The finishing schedule sounds fine and the half pound shellac should work well as a stain controller. I have to agree with Jim about the next steps I think after the stain a couple of coats of garnet shellac would really compliment the cherry and I would highly advise the use of the Target Coatings USL in lieu of a solvent based lacquer. You will find it easier to use and the build will be quicker than solvent lacquer and better yet the fumes will not ignite.

Solvent based lacquer is basically an explosive (nitro) dissolved in a poison (lacquer thinner) with a finely ground cellulose fiber mixed in hence the term nitro cellulose lacquer. I took this material out my finishing routine years ago when I read about the accumlative effects of exposure. Some materials only harm you if you are exposed for a long continous period of time, intermittent exposure to solvent based lacquers over a long period of time will eventually have an adverse affect on you physcially.

Ron

[david babcock]

Trey,
what did you end-up doing with this?
Results or pictures?

I am in the process of finishing my entertainment center that I built out of cherry and was wondering if this schedule is compatible.

Half # cut of sealcoat shellac for a wood conditioner to reduce blotching
Minwax gel stain
Now I want to use laquer as the topcoat should I use another sealcoat of shellac over the gel stain and then laquer over the shellac. I am a little scared of laquer because I know it will disolve just about anything, last time I used it over an oil based glaze it gave me all kinds of problems.

{Should I just forget the laquer and go ahead and finish with regular shellac and be done with it.} any suggestions

Thanks Trey