Lacquer for curved wall

[jamiehamy]

Hi folks, 

 

For our curved wall sections, many people here and that have visited have commented on the lovely grain pattern on the ply I used for the curved wall. 

 

I don't want to varnish but willing to do a lacquered paint finish if the grain will show through - any recommendations on a lacquer? Not really sure what I doing be buying or best way to apply? 

 

I saw a staircase at a show where it was lacquered blur with the grain showing and it was lovely. 

[Ferdinand]

Shellac?

 

Traditional way to bring out the grain,  but also a decent barrier to water vapour,

 

This is not quite my area, though.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Ferdinand

[Barney12]

OSMO opaque colours works well although the sheen level is a little higher than you might want for internals. 

Available in a range of colours or any colour to order. I.e. http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/osmo-country-colour?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-7Poyb3E1QIVbb7tCh2XYgeXEAQYASABEgKbbPD_BwE

It does need to be applied carefully though it doesn't like being applied thickly and will look glossy if over applied and you'll loose the wood grain you're wanting to achieve.

Practice on a scrap piece first.

[Nickfromwales]

Do you only have screw fixing vertically at each end? If so, don't forget to cover these with a matching wood product to define the start / stop points and provide a good break between the plaster / wood finishes. They'll need to be on before starting any final finishing work, plus you'll ideally want to bond those strips on so there's no surface fixings to fill. Laquers etc behave differently on wood fillers so, as said, practice on a sacrificial piece first. 

[Onoff]

French polish it. Very satisfying.

[jamiehamy]

33 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Do you only have screw fixing vertically at each end? If so, don't forget to cover these with a matching wood product to define the start / stop points and provide a good break between the plaster / wood finishes. They'll need to be on before starting any final finishing work, plus you'll ideally want to bond those strips on so there's no surface fixings to fill. Laquers etc behave differently on wood fillers so, as said, practice on a sacrificial piece first. 

I put some on each end to hold in place until I bonded it properly -  plan was a full glue and screw- thankfully I didn't do it all at once or there would have been holes everywhere! If it doesn't work out I'll just paint it fully. Got a few pieces left over,  so can experiment first :-) 

[Onoff]

Teak, Danish even Linseed oil...?

 

I French polished a gun stock once just for fun. Looked fabulous but no good in the woods. Went back to oil well rubbed in and buffed up.

 

[jamiehamy]

7 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Teak, Danish even Linseed oil...?

 

I French polished a gun stock once just for fun. Looked fabulous but no good in the woods. Went back to oil well rubbed in and buffed up.

 

But can that be done in a colour? I want it either grey or blue. 

[Barney12]

1 hour ago, jamiehamy said:

But can that be done in a colour? I want it either grey or blue. 

 

No. Not without a stain first. There are various options but I wouldn't be brush or rag applying any wood stain to an area that large. Spraying is the only option really for the level of finish that I think you'll want. Clear lacquers can be tinted but again I wouldn't DIY that route.

 

In my reply I had assumed you wanted an opaque paint finish. If you actually want a tinted timber finish then there are a lot more options. If you're going down the DIY route then I would personally stick to oil/wax based products. They are much more forgiving. E.g. 3067 Light Grey or 3074 Graphite Osmo Tints. http://www.osmouk.com/sitechapter.cfm?chapter=82&page=250

Or any of the wood waxes: http://www.osmouk.com/sitechaptern.cfm?bookid=Products&chapter=82&page=373

 

Sample and test, sample and test.

 

I've left out traditional stains such as Vandyke crystals et all as thats really not the realm of a DIYer (IMHO).

 

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Barney12

[Onoff]

I reckon you could hand stain that a colour then French polish it.

[jamiehamy]

Sorry. My post probably wasn't the clearest . The example I saw was a timber cabinet that was solid blue or green I think - but the grain was fully visible. The chap said is was lacquered rather than painted. I really liked the look but didn't know how easy it was to do. 

[Barney12]

5 minutes ago, jamiehamy said:

Sorry. My post probably wasn't the clearest . The example I saw was a timber cabinet that was solid blue or green I think - but the grain was fully visible. The chap said is was lacquered rather than painted. I really liked the look but didn't know how easy it was to do. 

 

Any thin coat product should allow the grain to show but its very timber dependent. If you ply is super smooth then don't expect the grain to suddenly appear through a solid coating.

 

Don't be confused by the term "lacquer". He will be referring to a "pre-catalysed" or "acid-catalysed" lacquer. i.e Morrells http://www.morrells.co.uk/pre-catalyst-lacquers-fastmatch-colours/ Both are available in clear or solid colours. Solid colours are "paint". He's just referring to a trade term. The advantage is that you can get great coverage thinly (using spray equipment) which preserves any grain.

 

You can also create a raised grain but it will be very dependent on the ply top layer. I wouldn't risk it.

 

A translucent colour will show the grain for obvious reasons.

[Temp]

Osmo polyx/hard wax oil. Osmo do small 5ml samples for about £1 so cheap to test several colours or clear..

 

http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/osmo-polyx-oil