does sealer add a protective coat on softwoods like pine ?

[peterfawzy]

hello guys ,
i am making a segmentation project (like neal moore's) using softwood (pine) and after i stained the wood i found that if i pressed on the wood with my finger nails , this leaves marks that affect the color of the stain.
my question is if i apply a sealer , will it provide a protective coat on the wood ?
i need the finish to be satin or semi gloss ... or will the varnish give that protective layer?if yes .. will the varnish give that coat without applying sealer before it ?
thanks

[DaveP]

Hi Peter

Its always good practice to seal soft woods and will help.

So apply sanding sealer then stain then the varnish finish (how many coats and how much sanding between them is of course up to you)

[NC Scroller]

Pine is a very soft wood. You would need to build up a relatively thick coating or a varnish or lacquer to stop that.

[sawdustus]

Peter, you have found out that pine is easy to cut, hard to sand smooth and difficult to finish. As Scott said, pine is soft and easily damaged and dented. It also tends to blotch (stain irregularly). Using a dewaxed shellac (Zinsser seal coat) to seal the wood before staining is the best way to stop the blotching. You can then control the color of the stain better. After the stain is completely dry, I would use varnish as the top coats to protect the wood and color. It dries harder than shellac but take longer to cure. You are going to need several top coats to get the protection you are looking for.

Since you want a satin or semi-gloss finish for you final look, that product should become your final varnish top coat only . All the underlying protective varnish coats should be gloss varnish. Matte, semi-gloss or satin varnish has particles suspended in it
to reduce its reflective ability and require stirring to mix in the particles for a uniform look. If you use it for multiple layers it will hide the colors you use, hide the grain, and give you a very unattractive look. By using 2 or three coats of gloss varnish (which does not contain the suspended particles and thus needs no stirring or mixing) as protective coats, the color and grain will show clearly and the final coat of satin or semi-gloss will give you the look you want.

I hope this helps.

george

[Bill Wilson]

Generally speaking, I think you will be more satisfied with a harder wood. Soft pine will be prone to dents & dings, regardless of what finish you apply. Also, as was mentioned, it tends to blotch badly when a pigment stain is applied. A pre-stain conditioner can help minimize that, but it will prevent the stain from being absorbed, to a degree, so while the color will be more uniform, it will be lighter than you may expect. Test on some scraps before finishing your project.

Once the stain is dry, a topcoat is recommended. It will provide some protection against dirt, moisture and light scratches, but not so much for dents & dings. There are dozens of different products available and which one is the best depends on a lot of factors. Regarding varnish, I think you will get good results by following George's advice.

Good luck!

[peterfawzy]

the problem is that i have already stained the wood without applying sealer or coats of gloss varnish ... so should i apply sealer coat then varnish ? or apply varnish without sealer?
thanks dave , scott , george and bill

[Bill Wilson]

Go ahead and apply your varnish over top the stain. As long as the stain is fully dry, you should have no problems. There are circumstances where a sealer is recommended. For example, one can have problems with waterbased dyes migrating into waterbased topcoats. This can be prevented by applying a thin seal coat of shellac over the stain. Shellac will also help prevent grain raising when using water-borne topcoats. But for the most part, if stains and topcoats are compatable, there really isn't a need for an intermediate sealer.

[peterfawzy]

ok i will apply the varnish coat thanks Bill