I haven’t purchased it yet but I will be using a water-based dye and grain filler (Aqua Coat) for the first time. Though I’m not tinting the latter, they will be two separate layers. Am I correct in assuming that putting Aqua Coat directly over the water-based dye will lift the color? Do I need to use some type of barrier in-between like shellac?
Thanks,
Todd
Replies
Never done it. Can't say. It should not make a difference if the dye has dried first.
Comment only to recommend a test piece first. You can't go wrong that way and different woods (sometimes different parts of the same board) accept stain in different ways.
Always test stain before application. It's better to throw away a pot of product you don't use than to spoil a project you have spent a week or more making. This is also another reason to keep all your scrap until the project is finished.
Gotta test. Some water-based products (like polys) cure for good, and some can be "reanimated" with the solvent (water). Having the dye go back into solution may or may not affect the look of your project, but it can easily ruin a can of finish for anything else.
I've only used Aqua Coat once. Unless I'm misunderstanding, you are planning to apply the dye first and let it dry; then the Aqua-Coat? I would think that there would be some variation in color between the pores filled with the filler and the rest of the wood. You absolutely need to try it on test pieces and experiment until you get the desired result. Testing is always a good idea, especially when stain is involved. Make sure that you prepare the test pieces the same way you plan to with the final product; sand to the same grit, do the steps exactly as you plan to on the final product.
I have used Aqua Coat to fill in oak grain before repainting cabinet doors. I have also used a lot of water based dyes. As everyone else has said, use a test piece, but what hasn't been mentioned is that dyes change the colour of the wood but they don't really give you the final look you're after. What I mean is, when they are wet it will be very close to the look you want, but when they dry they wood looks terrible. What you put over that dye will give you the look you want. For example, I would apply the dye, once it dries and looks terrible I might use thinned boiled linseed oil (this gives the piece a wet look and adds depth) and then clear coat over that when its dry. I doubt that aqua coat will give you that depth. PLUS, and this important - you need to sand the aqua coat after each coat to even out all the pores so you could very easily sand through the colour layer. Aqua coat is clear, so you may want to apply it between layers of clear coat to protect the colour of your piece. You won't know what works best until you test.
Never used Aqua Coat. Your issue is with the water-based filler lifting the water-based dye off the wood, right? Maybe consider adding the dye to the wood filler? I've added transtint to shellac to tint it and avoid blotching.