Hello to the group! Forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject, but I am still very much learning. Please excuse the length of this post, the question is in the last paragraph. I am detailing the process I went through very because I don't know quite where I screwed up.
Recently, I finished a wood project (3/4" birch ply) which had come to the finishing stage. I wanted to give it a gloss black finish. The folks at the Home Depot, in their infinite wisdom, recommended Rustoleum High Gloss Lacquer.
I prepped the surface with over 10 hours of sanding. I tried to get rid of the fuzz with 150 grit paper per the instructions of the Home Depot guy. Unable to do so, I made my first mistake, I used Elmer's wood filler to fill the grain of the birch. This is a heavy putty used for filling holes, but in my ignorance, I used it as grain filler. The first coat I spread thin, but ended up completely sanding off trying to get a uniformly smooth surface. Then I slathered on 1/4" second coat of filler all around the cabinet. It took me 4 hours to sand it back to semi-flatness with 150 grit. I did another touch up third filler coat, thiis time with heavily water-thinned wood filler. I went up to 220 grit and got a surface that was very smooth and uniform to the touch. I tacked it clean with a damp rag to get rid of all the debris. I was ready for outstanding results!!
I used 2 cans of Rustoleum sandable primer, and 2 cans of Rostoleum high gloss lacquer, in aresol spray. I went into the back yard, set up a makeshift spray booth with tarp, and hung the project in midair for spraying. The primer coats looked GREAT! I laid 3 coats down. I also had some very slight surface imperfections that the 3rd coat of primer helped swamp. I did not sand my primer coats because they looked great.
Aafter letting the primer dry for about 45 minutes, I broke out the lacquer. I layed a very thin coat holding the spray can about 12" from the cabinet. The finish looked very uneven - I thought subsequent coats would take care of it. I layed down 2 more light coats, moving the spray can in short 6" strokes: psst, psst, psst, psst, trying to get the entire surface coated.
After I finished using all 2 cans, the finish was VERY glossy in certain areas, and almost flat black in others. Moreover, the surface has this fine black dust all over it and the flat areas feel very rough (like 150 grit sandpaper) to the touch. I have never used a nitrocellulose lacquer before and am not sure if this is how it is supposed to feel before buffing and cutting. I am deathly afraid I have ruined a weeks worth of HARD work and am uncertain how to proceed. Please advise this panicked newbie. Thanks in advance!!