# Finishing Pine for the first time



## GoPhillies (Feb 4, 2011)

Hello Jocks…..have a question I was hoping to get answered. I am in the process of making a dining table from pine. I have never worked with pine before and I am worried about finishing it. Here is my plan: 
1. sand it to about 150 grit maybe 180 if I don't get sick of sanding 
2. seal it with shellac
3. stain it 
4. top coat with a poly since I need durability
I am hoping that the shellac will help even out the stain. Make sense?


> Anything better to seal it with


? Do certain stains work better than others??? Any input would be appreciated. I have extra wood to try out different methods. Thanks.

Duane


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Your method seems to be spot on. I might stop sanding pine after 150 though if you create too slick of a surface you wont get any penetration. Make sure you are using dewaxed shellac, regular shellac wont dry for about a month.

Im not much help on stains though.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Use dewaxed because other finishes might not adhere. The shellac should be a "wash coat" to seal the goofy nature of pine. I will dilute the Zinsser Seal coat with DNA (denatured alcohol-NOT VODKA) 50/50. It comes as a 2# cut. I like to use a 1# for sealing. Stain of your choice (I don't use MinW__ 'cause it tends to "muddy" the finish-too much solid content). Poly if ya must.
Beware of sanding 'cause you can get a wave effect between the grains unless you use a sanding block.
BTW, shellac dries very quickly waxed or not because of the alcohol solvent. (Sorry Chrisstef.)
Bill


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

The reason sometimes shellac doesn't dry (or stays tacky indefinitely) is because its out of date. DAMHIKT. IMO…any shellac older than 1 year (from manufacture) is suspect and should be replaced with fresh stuff. This is why I now exclusively mix up my own from flakes. The one time I didn't it really cost me.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

I'd say *Bill White* has it, spot on.

I'm about to finish a pine table, too, and have been looking into it a bit. I'll be spraying lacquer, when my HVLP system arrives, but … in terms of a washcoat … yup … he's got it.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Take a look at my avatar sometime…...

100 grit sanding, coat of Minwax Ipswich Pine( Yes, I said Minwax) sanding to 150 grit, 1st coat Minwax Poly Gloss, Hand sanded to 220 grit, wiped down with a CLEAN tack rag, second coat poly, wiped down with 0000 steel wool, wiped down with a CLEAN tack rag, third coat Poly. Now the fun begins, I wait until no longer tacky to a finger's touch, then grab an old, CLEAN T-shirt, and RUB THE "H" out of the surface. Do NOT spare the elbow grease, rub it hard.

Poly is right out of the can, brushed on nice and thin. I also "tip off" each surface as I get done with them. Brush ( DRY one) is held at 90 degrees to the surface, and LIGHTLY dragged across WITH the grain.

Seems to work for me, at least for the last 25+ years or so…


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have also used a mixture of drywall joint compound and water to a consistency of milk. I brush it on….sand it off ,then stain. Makes the stain go on evenly. I put two or three coats of this on end grain.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Jim, I've never thought about DW compound. Sounds like a good grain filler if sealed.
Great tip, and thanks.
Bill


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## GoPhillies (Feb 4, 2011)

Thank you for the input

Bill….you say poly if I must, would you lacquer instead?


> I don't have a lot of experience with lacquer, can it stand up to the wear and tear seen by a kitchen table


?

Duane


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

Your schedule is fine except for the shellac….it's unnecessary.

For a brush-on finish, oil poly is great, but waterborne poly is just as good, and it's quicker and easier.

If you have access to spray equipment, I recommend a solvent NC or acrylic lacquer over a water soluble dye stain. Can't be beat.


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

Duane;

I tried Minwax wood conditioner on a pine "shop furniture" project a few weeks ago right before applying stain. I started staining immediately after the wood conditioner and it made a big difference in the blotchiness you usually see when staining pine. The cabinet was made from 3/4" BC plywood sanded with 100 then 220 grit with a ROS. Would probably been better using 100 then 150 tops if I had to do it again. Applied 3 coats of MW water based Polycrylic gloss next day with 320 sanding between coats and 0000 synthetic steel wool after last coat. Remember this is shop furniture.

MW has two products, one for using with oil base stain and one for water base stain.

Good luck.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Save some headache and use dye instead of stain although I'm not sure why you would use pine in the first place if you wanted to stain it.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

After sanding to 150 apply Charles Neils blotch control it will really get rid of blotchyness


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