Love proofgrade but need to start venturing out to unfinished wood veener. Of course you want to protect finished products with a lacquer. I got so overwhelmed as there are so many products out there. Need to narrow it down so its easier for me to research. Hope you can assist?
Which is better, spray or wet?
Would like a clear durable product that will UV protect the wood, any brand suggestions?
I am using Krylon but have noting to compare it to, I would guess that a pint and paint brush would be far cheaper per square foot than the spray cans,
If you are referring to lacquer specifically (ie, not using it as a general term for a protective finish), you will get much better, consistent results with a spray can. Brushing lacquers do exist, but they are notoriously difficult to apply without streaking.
If you are asking more generally about UV resistant clear finishes (emphasis on resistant, as direct sunlight and moisture will eventually ruin most everything), the Krylon mentioned above works. As does “spar varnish” or “spar urethane”, both of which you can find in a spray can too.
If you are open to a finish that isn’t glossy and doesn’t build a protective coating, but still offers nice UV and moisture protection and is 100% environmentally friendly, check out Outdoor Defense Oil from the Real Milk Paint Company.
Good luck!
Minwax Helmsman spar urethane is all I use. Works really well and lasts outdoors for many years. Reasonably priced and is available in spray or can.
Thank you! Yes, I’m looking a general clear protective finish of a good quality. Want to make stickers that can hold up wear and tear like vinyl decals. Nothing like car decals, something that can hold up say stick to a note book. Now I have a better starting point to research!
Try shellac. Mix it 75/25 alcohol/shellac for an initial sealant coat. Follow it with 50/50 mix for finish coats. Foam brushes work great.
The big benefit is that it dries in under 10 minutes so you can stack up lots of coats in the time you’d normally only get a couple of coats of another finish.
Shellac is an excellent product for indoor use, especially for pieces that will hang or be lightly used (ie., not a kitchen table). But shellac will break down very, very quickly outdoors.
I will probabaly use this for coasters, thanks!
Avoid shellac for coasters. Condensation will destroy the finish very quickly.
Are the coaster meant for outdoor use? If not, you don’t really need the UV protection and could use a simple polyurethane or lacquer spray.
For exterior or wet situations I either topcoat with varnish or use Epifanes marine finishes (varnish based I believe). For super protection outdoors it’s either West System epoxy finish (you’ll need to find a Wests Marine store) or Spraymax 2K clear coat (Deltron DC3000 is also great but expensive). Deltron is an automotive clear coat so if you go that route you’ll find it at auto suppliers not regular paint stores.
Oh, the other thing to try is Rust-Oleum Neverwet as a top coat. Stuff isn’t really paint & it can be used on most anything.
One good thing about shellac though is it always (even after drying & aging) dissolves in alcohol so you can give it a wipe or brush of alcohol and then another coat or more of shellac on top - no need for any chemical or abrasive removal steps.
Thanks! I have wet polyurethane which I been using. The coasters are meant for indoor. Just want something better for out and about things like stickers on notebooks which needs more longevity