We are refinishing a pedestal dining table (stripped the old black paint from the pedestal with a citrus stripper), and I believe the pedestal wood is oak. The grain appears to be previously filled and still pretty smooth after stripping, so do we need to refill the grain with a filler or shellac? I would leave the oak and stain it, but the tabletop will be natural cherry.
I’ve read a number of tips about brushing or rubbing a thin seal coat of thin dewaxed shellac before the primer and topcoat so should we do that first? Would also appreciate any suggestions for primer and paint (will be sprayed with HVLP gun).
Thanks for the advice,
Brian
Replies
The only thing worse for furniture than nails is paint.
Sure, you see plenty of very nice stuff that is 'painted.' What the pictures don't tell you is that the paint they used isn't what you find at the box stores.
Furniture finishing isn't at all like house painting. You need a hard, tough finish that wil repel a spilled drink as well as resist ground-in dirt, fingerprints, and the occasional ding.
Where do I begin? Well, I'd begin with a visit to the local Woodcraft store. Learn about things like Danish Oil, tung oil, milk paint, enamel, laquer, and REAL varnish. Visit the Fine Woodworking site.
The shellac won't necessarily make the top coat look any better. It will seal the wood and allow you to sand again with a finer sandpaper, like 220.
It sounds like you're just painting the pedestal, right? If that's true, don't worry about it too much. You can use the shellac as your primer with a light sanding. Then two coats of your paint, you can lightly sand between here as well. At this point you could even put on a water-based poly (it won't yellow over time) to add a layer of protection for your paint.
The shellac won't necessarily make the top coat look any better. It will seal the wood and allow you to sand again with a finer sandpaper, like 220.
It sounds like you're just painting the pedestal, right? If that's true, don't worry about it too much. You can use the shellac as your primer with a light sanding. Then two coats of your paint, you can lightly sand between here as well. At this point you could even put on a water-based poly (it won't yellow over time) to add a layer of protection for your paint.