Is it necessary to seal wood before staining?

[68KANE]

or applying Poly? On the workbench I'm building, the sides and front facing are sanded plywood (1/2") and it seems to suck up the wipe on poly I'm using. The front facing turned out pretty good but the side have 5 coats on and still seem a little rough.


Also, when getting the sanding residue off of projects, has anyone tried using one of those masking tape lint brushes? Seems that might work to get even the most stubborn dust off your project.

[Black wallnut]

I never seal anything prior to staining or applying any type of finsh for that matter. A light sanding between coats and by the second coat your wood should be sealed.

[JR]

quote:Originally posted by 68KANE

or applying Poly? On the workbench I'm building, the sides and front facing are sanded plywood (1/2") and it seems to suck up the wipe on poly I'm using. The front facing turned out pretty good but the side have 5 coats on and still seem a little rough.

On some softer woods a "sanding sealer" may prove helpful to prevent blotching. As Mark says, try sanding with 220 between coats.

quote:
Also, when getting the sanding residue off of projects, has anyone tried using one of those masking tape lint brushes?

I'd be afraid of the adhesive getting on the wood. A tack cloth seems to have a lot less stickiness, but still does the job well, including nooks and crannies.

JR

[68KANE]

Thanks for the responses.

I've sanded the sides with 220 sandpaper between coats but this is my first time using wipe-on poly. Reading some of the other projects, some guys have used up to 8 coats to get their desired look. I'll check back after a couple more coats.

[JR]

Sounds like you're on the right track. As you get it built up you can also try using finer grit paper and lighter coats, finally waxing. You'll be happy with the result.

It takes a lot patience - more than I possess sometimes!
JR

[mater]

I don't use any sealer on mine either. I also sand lightly between the coats.

[monte]

If you seal the wood prior to staining, the wood won't take the stain at all.

[68KANE]

That's what I was thinking monte. But as a noobie to this arena I didn't want to appear any more ignorant.

[offthemark]

Maybe I'm not understanding the question but I do use a pre-stain conditioner for soft woods (pine). It's really to even out abosorption more than to seal. I can't recall the exact name but it's Minwax brand and I get it at HD.

[RainShadow]

Boys: the best stuff is the MinWax sanding ealer/conditioner for soft woods that take up stain unevenly. I used it on my fir front door (inside) and the door trim/molding.
I have never used it on hardwoods.....
Good luck, Randy from Oceanside, CA -- just now drying out from the 3 weeks of rains.

[sawdustman]

I use the same stuff from HD--Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner. It's only for soft woods and helps them to absorb the stain more evenly.

[MargoC]

quote:Originally posted by 68KANE

That's what I was thinking monte. But as a noobie to this arena I didn't want to appear any more ignorant.

I'm about 5 steps ahead of ya!!

[Tom Miller]

Not that this topic needs beating any more, but I've been dealing with this a little lately, and here's an explanation I've heard that kind of makes sense:

When you apply the sealer, it stays on the surface of the less porous wood, and soaks deeper into the more porous wood. When you sand (after the sealer dries) you're going to be removing some (most? all?) of the sealer that stayed on the surface of the less porous wood, so it will accept some stain. The more porous wood has only been somewhat sealed in the first place, so it will accept stain, too. The net effect is a more even staining.

Well, it sounds good.

Regards,
Tom

[MargoC]

This does not apply to the topic really but it's an observation I've made and thought I would mention it. I was using my birdhouse as a finishing experiment and did not have stain. I saturated it with linseed oil and wiped on oil based enamal paint (before the oil dryed) and got a nice effect. I could really control the evenness of the finish. I did this on several with different colors of paint. The wood was poplar and pine. It's kind of a pain, I just recieved my woodburst stain order and with it some prestain conditioner. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, I imagine the minwax prestain conditioner would work just as well. I can't imagine just wiping stain on some of the cheaper wood that I use as it would probably just soak it up like a sponge.

[Woodchuck_Buck]

quote:Originally posted by 68KANE

I've sanded the sides with 220 sandpaper between coats but this is my first time using wipe-on poly. Reading some of the other projects, some guys have used up to 8 coats to get their desired look. I'll check back after a couple more coats.

A more recent project (and my first in over a decade; long story, don't ask) was a full wet bar downstairs. For whatever reason I used the Wipe-on poly and got excellent results ... granted, it took about 8 to 10 coats to get the deep shine that I wanted, but I've have been very happy with the end result. I only used sandpaper after the first coat (perhaps the 2nd coat as well) but beyond that I just used '000' steel wool. It is a very fine, glassy finish that has withstood a decent amount of abuse and mositure (I believe there is a connection between the number of games of pool played and the number of drinks spilled/splashed over a certain period of hours)