# Question: Water based over Danish Oil?



## travisowenfurniture (Jan 12, 2011)

Can I apply a water based sanding sealer over fully cured Danish Oil? Or do I have to use dewaxed shellac on it before applying any water based finish?

I haven't got any experience in using water based finishes, just attracted to them for their comparative lack of fumes and their quick build.


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## doninvegas (Jun 10, 2010)

I do it all the time. I "pop" the grain with Danish Oil then I top coat it with a water borne poly. You do have to wait til the oil is fully cured.


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## travisowenfurniture (Jan 12, 2011)

Thank you for your input.

Allow me to explain what I am doing:

I am building additional cabinets for some friends of mine, effectively doubling the size of their kitchen. I believe the original color is some sort of cheap stain/topcoat in one, but have found that the "Golden Oak" Danish Oil is almost a perfect match. I have already built, finished, and installed one set of the cabinets and they matched perfectly. It's a peninsula where their drop in range is being installed. For the back, I am going to install a 1/4" sheet of veneered mdf ply, with trim around the borders.

To finish the face frames and doors I applied the danish oil, then applied a coat of brushing lacquer, then sanded and wiped on a coat of satin wipe on poly to match the sheen of the rest of their kitchen. The lacquer bonded well to the danish oil, and gave me the build that I wanted. The wipe on poly gave the perfect sheen with no brush marks, sags, bubbles, or dust nibs.

I now need to finish the panel in a similar manner, but am apprehensive about brushing on lacquer onto such a large surface. I would spray it, but I do not have a spray booth and don't want to kill myself with fumes or blow my house up. Spraying water based would be ideal for it's build and lack of fumes. I'm afraid shellac wont protect the surface enough. I need to use the wipe on poly because it is the closest match to the sheen that they have, but it doesn't have enough build for me to use on it's own.

I will try it on a test piece and see if there are any issues.


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## travisowenfurniture (Jan 12, 2011)

I planned on using the wiping poly over the wb sanding sealer. The wb sanding sealer label states you can apply solvent or wb over it. The wipe on poly (minwax) is extremely thin, and thus doesn't give me the build I want efficiently.

Good point about the spray mist, I will consider spraying it outside.


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## travisowenfurniture (Jan 12, 2011)

That's a good point, it may not look as rich and may appear cooler. Varnish is a good idea, I didn't think about the difference in appearance. And I don't have to use my low grade spray equipment!

Thank you!


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## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

Sent an email to General Fnishes ahd below is their reply:

"No we do not recommend using the water base top coats over the Danish Oils. They really fully never dry out so you run the risk of the top coat not adhering. You could wait a good couple weeks and wipe the top down with mineral spirits and then let dry, then put our oil Urethane Arm R seal over the top. This is an oil base and would be a much better option, but you need to let it dry a good couple weeks first."


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