GF High Performance water based Top Coat over Lacquer
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| Posted in Finishing on
I am touching up my kitchen chairs that were factory finished with with a solvent lacquer /stain toner or stained followed by a solvent lacquer. My first attempt was to tough up with matching stain poly combination (all-in-one product) but this reacted with a sticky non drying finishes. I hand rubbed the first attempt off with mineral spirits. My next step is to try touching up scratches with a water based stain and then brush on General Finishes (GF) High Performance Water based Top coat. I want to avoid the nasty odors from solvent based products as I will be doing the work in my basement. GF promotes their top coat product as a sealer over paint and stain, will I have any problems using it over solvent based lacquer?
Replies
When in doubt, I always use a dewaxed shellac. Sealcoat is relaxed, and widely available. It will stick to everything, and everything will stick to it.
If your goal is to touch up the scratches and avoid the nasty odors I think you are doing to much. Using different finish products, like you are will at most times just cause problems. Sealcoat is a good solution to were you are now. Of course you will have to tolerate the alcohol flash off from the shellac.
Thanks for the Sealcoat suggestions. I tested the GF Hi Performance water based topcoat on a inconspicuous part of a chair directly over the lacquer finish and there was no negative reaction. Dried to a smooth finish. I went ahead and lightly sanded the chairs with 400 grit sandpaper, touched up some of the deeper scratches with a custom matched water based stain and then applied two coats of the high gloss topcoat. After a couple of days of drying I buffed it to a satin finish first with burgundy 3M synthetic pad ( fine) then a superfine 3M white pad. This worked for me but would agree that when in doubt on compatibility of finishes a very light dewaxed shellac (like seal-coat) should be your first layer if applying a finish over an existing finish.
Correction: I should have said I used Grey Fine 3M buffing pad followed by white 3M superfine buffing pad. Burgany pad would be a little to course for this application of buffing out the finish.
this was helpful, thanks.
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