Polyurethane over laquer?

Not very well over the long term. How's 'bout scuffing the lacquer, apply dewaxed shellac, and then the (ugh) poly?

dave

The "(ugh) poly" tells me something. I'm open to ideas. What is the objection to poly? What are viable alternatives. The surface will be used as a tray and from time to time will be exposed to a variety of liquids including alcohol.

The "ugh" was for the application; not for the results. Some guys will tell you poly looks bad. I don't think that's true unless you pile it on. But for application, I prefer spraying water bornes. They can be recoated in under 40 minutes and don't stick to everything around the spray area. Brushing poly often results in bubbles and it dries too slowly for me. Thin the poly to reduce bubbles. Spraying it makes on heck of a mess due to the sticky residue of overspray. Dust can settle on a slow drying finish like poly. I can't recall seeing any appreciable dust nibs on my water borne finishes. But the poly is gonna be more water resistant than WB even with Crosslinker added so I can appreciate why you'd choose poly. I've got a poly'd desktop that is softer (after more than a year after the finish was applied) than WB/Crosslinker that has set for a couple of weeks, BUT the poly does better on the water torture test...

Dave

Nope, haven't tried any current Varathane products since I didn't like their god-awfully slow drying Varathanes back in the 70's. Not that a WB would be slow drying, but I tend to avoid certain brands like the plague, such as Minwhacks and others that I've had less than stellar results with. sometimes my biggest issue is not the final results, but the odor, slow drying, or other bugaboo.

Dave

Dave

I was with you right up to the part about the "gloss". :) I made the mistake of applying gloss to some fluted door trim and rosettes. I had to recoat with semi and even that was a tad shinier than I like. Satin's more my pleasure. But as far as the product goes, I'll concede that Diamond may be a whole nuther ball game than their other stuff I've used in years past.

Dave

Dave

Why not learn to apply polyurethane and skip the lacquer? Yes, it will take longer to cure increasing the likelihood of dust nibs but the sandwich you are asking about is asking for trouble.

How much water are you talking about? Lacquer has moderate water and water vapor resistance, poly has pretty good resistance.

Good Luck.

for flat surfaces I agree (unless you use Enduro products, which don't obscure the wood when you choose the flattened sheens), but for items with lots of difficult to sand nooks and crannies, trying to tame the gloss after the finish is applied can be a PITA.

Dave