Wood Finish ???

[conwaygolfer]

I am building a TV stand for our new slim TV. I originally thought I would buy a nice oak or maple plywood sheet from the local cabinet supply house and finish it with a stain and poly. But my wife informed me today that she wants a glossy Black laquer to match the new TV. So I bought the China Birch which is much cheaper.

Can anyone tell me the proper way to finish this wood to make it look good? I am told to seal the wood before applying the laquer. But not sure what to seal it with. Also I will have to either roll or brush the laquer on. Is this okay to do? Should I do several light coats to avoid runs?

Any help will be appreciated and thanks in advance.
Hopefully I can post a few pics when I get done.

Conwaygolfer

[catta12]

It sounds like you want a finish that is glossy black just like the TV?

In that case, I would primer the wood and then paint it black. Coat it with gloss poly. Lightly wet sand and repeat with the poly until you are happy.

I did a fish tank stand like that and hadn't thought about it matching our TV, but I guess it is pretty similar.

[scmhogg]

Oak with black aniline dye, topped with gloss poly looks great. You still get the look of the grain, with the shiny black finish you need.

The bottom of my sliding dovetail box is red oak with black dye, the top is red dye.





Steve

[conwaygolfer]

Thanks

Thanks to both of you for getting back to me. The man at Sherwinn Williams is trying to talk me into what is called "All Surface" paint. The label says it is an oil based paint for cabinets, etc.. A little better grade than normal. At least I don't have to mess with lacquer.

Thanks again,
Conwaygolfer

[cabinetman]

Whatever you do to the plywood you may still get the faint hint of grain to show. With a gloss finish it can be pronounced. Using a smooth substrate like MDF would provide a very slick surface to start with and it would take paint better.

Since you aren't spraying, an oil base paint would likely stay wet long enough to "flow out". If you use plywood, you can buy an "oil base surfacer" which I think S-W carries. That can be tinted black if it can't be bought that way. Then a black gloss paint. If that doesn't give the look, coat with an oil base clear gloss polyurethane.

You could try thinning the media with mineral spirits 15%, and use a good natural hair brush, like Badger hair, or a foam roller. Keep in mind that thin applications work best. Try to keep in a dust free area, and allow each application to dry before sanding or adding another coat. It should be fairly hard to embed your fingernail. Wet sanding with silicon carbide sandpaper (wet-or-dry) a block, and water up to 600x should be sufficient prior to the last coat. If you want that piano finish, wet sanding up to 1500x and using rubbing compounds will bring up a very high gloss.

You may be satisfied with the final brush or roller application. Try some samples first.
.

[wardprobst]

Cman nailed it. Use the birch for something else. To get a really high gloss (like an ebony piano) the surface has to be dead flat. MDF is much better at that than ply, especially cheap ply (no offense intended).
DP

[conwaygolfer]

Thanks Cman and WP

I have already cut, glued and nailed the piece using the Birch. Next project I will try the MDF. SW gave me a black dye to tint my primer from white to grey. I applied that today using a roller and brush and to my surprise, it turned out very good. I just turned over the shelves and put a coat on the back sides.
When I use the SW surface paint, I will do as you suggest Cman. I can see a faint grain in the top after the primer and the wife likes that. Long as she is happy, I get to eat good (I don't cook).

By the way, I mitred all corners of the ply using an 80 tooth blade and had no tearout. The China birch did well. It is good that I am painting though, as the thinner layers of ply won't take much sanding. Before you know it, you are looking at the next layer. I did not find any voids in the cuts.

Thanks again,
Conwaygolfer