Replies

1. 
   peter28 | Dec 04, 2006 05:41pm | #1

   Miro,

   Sorry to hear about your problems. Let's take it from the top.

   You applied a paste filler. ( Did you stain the top?)

    You would first want to put a "wash coat" of sealer on the surface. If you did apply a stain, the wash coat will isolate the color and prevent the filler from affecting it. If you didn't stain, the wash coat will confine the oil in the filler to the pores and not the surrounding surface. A good wash coat can be made with Zinseer Seal Coat which is de-waxed blonde shellac. Dilute it about 20% with denatured alcohol. It can be applied with a brush or pad. Apply a coat and let it dry for about a half hour, lightly scuff the surface with a maroon scotch pad, tack off the dust and you're ready to fill.

    How long did you wait before you put the sanding sealer on? I'll let filler set for a minimum of a couple of days and for me that's even rushing it. A week is even better. You want the oil in the filler to cure off as much as possible. Your nose is a great gauge for this. If it smells strongly of oil, WAIT.

   You then applied a sanding sealer. I'm assuming it was oil based. If I were to use this method I would first use my wash coat again. It would lock the filler in and give me a good base for the sealer. The other option is to use the Seal Coat full strength and apply a thin coat or two.

   You applied Deft Lacquer. This is the root of your problem. The solvents in the lacquer are not compatible with the sanding sealer and in essence, melted the sealer thus softening the surface. The Deft would have been compatible with the shellac, however.

   You would have been better served using an oil based varnish with your sealer. They would have been compatible and the varnish would be a durable top coat.

    If you bought the sealer from the same people who sold you the Deft, tell them what happened. Hopefully they will learn from this too. By the way, did you read the directions? You'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't.

   Your solution is to strip the top and start over. It may sound like quite a bit of work but it is the proper way.

   Take some time and read some of the finishing books out there. It will take the guess work out of finishing. Also, make some samples. They are a great learning tool and time very well spent.

   Good luck. Let me know how you make out. 

   Peter Gedrys

    

    

    

    

    

    

1. 
   Saltcop | Dec 05, 2006 07:25pm | #2

   Hi Peter,

   Thank you for the reply. These are the step and products that I used:

   Oak veneer over 3/4 MDF and sanded to 220 grit

   Stained with Light Oak stain from Rockler

   Waited 2 days and applied Zinsser Seal Coat

   Waited 2 hours and applied Light Oak Grain Filler

   Waited 2 days then sanded with 320 grit, used an oil free micro fiber tac cloth to remove all the dust and applied 4 coats of Deft Brushing Lacquer with 4 hours between each coat. I also did take the time to read the labels. It was almost impossible to keep a wet edge with the Deft. I still have brush marks in the finish.

   The table top is 4' X 5-1/2' and is very heavy. Is there a way to sand lightly to remove the brush marks and re seal the top without sanding back down to the stain? Will the varnish give off a strong odor? I have to do this in the kitchen and odor can be a problem.

   Sincerely,

   Miro

    

1. 
   peter28 | Dec 07, 2006 02:35am | #3

   Miro,

   I can see how careful you were. I feel the problem lies in the fact that the filler didn't get sealed with shellac also. Even though you waited two days the oil was still uncured. This reacted adversely with the solvents in the lacquer.

   The brush marks can be sanded down with a fine paper such as 600 grit wetdry. You could follow that by rubbing it down with a grey scotch pad. However, none of this alleviates the fact you still have a soft finish to deal with.

   If you plan on not stripping it, all you can do is wait a while and see if it cures. Try pressing a fingernail into the surface. If it leaves an appreciable mark it is still too soft to do anything with. If no mark is left in the surface, try rubbing as described.

   My suggestion for a varnish was an alternative if you stripped the top. Don't put it over the lacquer.

   If I were to strip this I wouldn't sand it but would do so with a chemical. You could use a stripper but another way is to use lacquer thinner. Obviously all surrounding surfaces (floors) would want to be covered. I would get some industrial paper towels, a squirt bottle, some scotch pads, gloves and a mask.

   Do a section at a time. Lay the paper towels out and using the squirt bottle, wet them down with lacquer thinner. Cover it with newspaper to slow the evaporation and wait about five minutes or so. Roll the paper and towels back and wipe it immediately with a clean towel and the finish is gone.

   One of lacquers attributes is it is reversible. I know you said fumes are a problem as it is a kitchen and to be sure you would want good air flow while doing this.

   If you do take the finish of you could go ahead and finish with a varnish or urethane. To be safe I would give it a coat of shellac first.

   It would have an odor as it is a slow drier. The only other alternative is to use a water soluble finish.

   Please understand I'm trying to give you some alternatives. I don't know where you live but I know winter is a tough time to undertake a project as I've described.

   Personally, I feel you were given poor advice for a finish that needed to be brushed. I feel Deft is better served on a smaller surface.

   Keep in touch and let me know what you do.

   Peter

    

    

    

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