Replies

1. 
   Westchester | Feb 29, 2012 07:59am | #1

   Sticking

   I would not recommend lacquer over poly - but I have done it with a barrier coat between the two finishes.  If you have options open - find another way to go -

   SA

1. 
   wiskytango | Feb 29, 2012 11:23am | #2

   mixing

   Yeah thanks for the impute,  I definiatly have other options i was just wondering if you could mix the two, 

    thanks 

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Feb 29, 2012 12:47pm | #3

   The thinner/solvents used in lacquer are very aggressive and will not play nice with fresh oil based finishes.  An oil based finish must be fully cured which can take months.  The rule most often quoted is to not apply lacquer onto an oil based finish that is less than a year old.  If you first apply a coat of shellac, you can apply a lacquer in 2-3 months.

3. 
   IdahoDon | Apr 03, 2012 11:27pm | #4

   Lacquer over poly will usually bubble the poly - not only ruining the finish, but requiring you to strip and sand the screwed up mess.

   If you spray a seal coat it needs to be fairly heavy since lacquer thinner is quite agressive reguardless of how long the poly has set.

   What I do is spray two heavy coats of shelac, then a vinyl lacquer sealer applied in a few light coats with plenty of time to dry inbetween.  Did I mention letting things dry inbetween coats!?  

   Then I'll apply a number of very thin coats of lacquer with lots of time to dry between coats.  Still, if there are holes in the seal coats or if your lacquer coats are too thick, or if you don't allow enough dry time then you'll have areas where the poly bubbles up.

   There is no good reason to put lacquer over poly on purpose - the only time I do it is when refinishing an item that's not economical to strip the poly from.  I did this in three elevators that changed from stain-grade to a gloss black finish.  I couldn't stop any one elevator for more than an hour so the only finish that would dry quickly enough was lacquer.  A year later the finish is holding up well.