I made a coffee table out of poplar and I am painting it black with water based paint. I am wondering what a good finish would be to put over paint. I tried some high gloss thing that Woodcraft sold me… I think it’s mostly Tung Oil but it doesn’t look smooth when it dries. I want something that will finish nice and smooth looking (i.e. no texture). What would that be?
Thanks!
Replies
Since it's a coffee table, I'm assuming they'll be feet on it and spills etc (like the one in my house :-) So you'll be looking for something durable. I would look at a polyurethane in a satin finish. Or check out the Minwax polacrylic finish. It dries hard and clear. Plain old polyurethane will yellow the finish.
Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
Ummm, why not paint it black with oil based enamel?
Lee
Your paint is enough--maybe oil based, as the other poster suggested. Nothing else, except glass, is going to make it more protected.
Hi,
Don't use latex fr furniture. I won't even use it for trim. It barely ever hardens sufficiently and you'll find that so many things tend to adhere themselves to broad expanses of latex for years on end. I had a friend who left a glass on "dry" latex and it left an embossed ring due to the weight of the glass setting overnight.
Get a good oil based paint, and you're set.
Michael
Multiple coats of oil based enamel, sanded between coats.
Alternatively, spray it with black lacquer.
Either way, I'd seal it with a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac first.
shh5455,
I believe the secret to achieving a smooth finish is multiple coats of primer or shellac and a couple of coats of enamel to finish it off. I recently did this on a white bathroom cabinet made of poplar.
You work with the primer or shellac or both building the surface and sanding to the smoothness you want and no grain shows through.
PS. There is an excellent article by Paul Snyder in FWW, May-June 05
Edited 6/18/2005 11:50 am ET by BG
On all painted surfaces subject to wear -- shelves, table tops, etc. -- I brush on a single coat of water based poly, after sanding the surface slightly with 320 grit sandpaper.
The poly prevents scuffing on the painted surface. I do this all the time, and it works great.
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"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
water based paint.. I used dye as in that stuff for clothes RIT?? Whatever... BLACK as BLACK can be...
EDIT:: I forgot to say the wood was poplar
Edited 6/18/2005 3:16 pm ET by Will George
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