Long time reader, first time writer. I finished a small piece to go on a dresser. but I'm not happy with it. Can I use laquer over polyurethane? And what about the large pores of red oak? Any way to fill them without it looking bad? Any advice appreciated.
Other's can chime in and say for sure as I'm not entirely sure lacquer will stick to the poly. You could always use a coat or two of shellac as a bonding layer so to speak. Put the shellac over the poly and then the lacquer over the poly. As for filling pores, I've never messed with Oak so not sure but it seems to me you should have filled them before finishing. Cheers, cc
There are fillers that do just that--> fill pores on wood with course texture. It's almost a wood filler wash. Rub it on with a rag... let sit for a bit, gently wipe off. Let dry, and lightly sand. Then coat with your favourite finish. The topcoat will actually hold the filler in place. In your case, why do want to put lacquer over poly? Can't you scuff and poly? I'm pretty sure you can sand and clean poly enough for lacquer to stick. Of course... try a sample in a inconspicuous spot. I makes for a smooth finish that feels great to the touch and looks like shit. The filler absorbs stain like wood filler......'cuz that's what it is. There may be better stuff out there these day. As much as I learned to dislike oak after working with it all these years, I must defend it for the one thing oak does best---> texture and those fabulous rays.
HTH
Rob
The easy part of the answer is that you can lacquer over poly with good prep. Scruff the poly down thoroughly with a 3M pad. But why? Poly is a more durable finish than lacquer. Neither product is going to offer a difference in appearance or in characteristic, so I wouldn't go that route.
What is it that you're not satisfied with? Besides the pores in the red oak? Your best approach to them is to scruff up the finish on the piece and apply more poly to build the top coat. Get it up where you want it - leveling out the pores to a satisfactory point, and then scruff the top coat again, and bring it to the level of shine you want by buffing it.
I appreciate everyones advice. I used 0000 steel wool then another coat of poly. Looks like that will improve things. So, next project will incude a 50 mile trip to the lumber yard for cherry, maple, ash or walnut.
Lacquer is a stronger chemical than Poly, Its not a question of whether it will stick or not, Lacquer will generally eat into any other chemical finish, It will not however eat into shellac, strange but true. You can however put just about anything you want on top of lacquer if it is cured which takes approximatelly two weeks for a full cure.
There is a filler that will fill the open pores in wood it is an oil based product and can be tinted once dried you can stain and then topcoat. The best I know it is a commercial product and generally not available at places like HD or Lowes. There may be some on line suppliers that carry it.
Good Luck, George
Correct, but more brittle as well. Poly will typically hold up to use with less distress than lacquer.
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