Hello,
I am building and finishing a 14′ cherry wall unit. There are some special considerations regarding the staining and finishing process so I would like to get some advice on how to procede. I am building the wall unit for a friend and will be doing the finishing after it is assembled in his home. I don’t have the room to spray it elsewhere. He and i are concerned with noxious fumes so I was planning on enclosing the area around the unit but am still worried about the fumes. The little bit of spraying i’ve done in the past has always been outside. I am trying to come up with a minimally invasive finish process. Some of the things i’m considering are: Simply making a toner with an oil/urethane blend (Arm R Seal) and spraying directly, or the other option, brushing on a sealer (zinser cut shelac)then brushing on a pigment stain, and finally spraying on the finish. Yes, i realize both processes involve spraying the finish, but would think that with the second option i could get away with less spraying, no? I’ve also thought about shelac for the finish, but would it be hard enough?
note. He wants it very dark, that’s why i was thinking there would be less spraying with the second option, as it would not need the many multiple coats of toning to build up the color and darkness.
thanks,
dperfe
Edited 3/4/2006 9:05 am ET by dperfe
Edited 3/4/2006 9:09 am ET by dperfe
Replies
Shellac is quite hard--harder than polyurethane varnish. That hardness makes it easy to rub out, but it also makes it easier to scratch than varnish. However, if it does scratch it is quite easy to repair, where polyurethane is quite challenging to repair.
Personally, I like shellac as a finish for such items, though many others want more protection. In any event, a natural resin product is likely to look better than polyurethane. But varnish is not very good for spraying. The over spray and bounce back leaves every thing, including the finisher, covered with sticky stuff.
I suspect that this in situ finishing is a case for a sprayed waterborne acrylic. They are not as durable as varnish, but more than shellac. I've seen this characterized as being similar to good lacquer. (As a point of reference, lacquer was used on almost all factory made furniture until recently.)
I would discourage staining or toning cherry. Cherry wood will darken considerably over the first year in particular, so that if you get it dark enough now, its going to be quite a bit darker in the future. The natural aging gives a color and clarity not easily matched with stain. I would put a coat of an oil/varnish mix, such as Watco on first, to pop the figure. This would need to be fully cured before applying a Waterborne finish, but will cure quicker than BLO.
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