plywood finish

[Dragon]

I don't know if this has been asked before. I have lots of plywood and would like to know the best way to finish it. I have lots of paints from the dollar store but I find that the wood swells up with this water paint.
Do you ever just put BLO or Tungst oil on plywood?
Or should I just buy some acrylic paints?
Diane

[Daryl185]

Hi Diane, to answer your question BLO is a great finish its all I use now, its easy to apply I just dip the wood in a pan of BLO let the excess drip off and wipe, the BLO air dries in about 12 hours (at least in Florida it does)

[Steviegwood]

Originally Posted by Dragon

I don't know if this has been asked before. I have lots of plywood and would like to know the best way to finish it. I have lots of paints from the dollar store but I find that the wood swells up with this water paint.
Do you ever just put BLO or Tungst oil on plywood?
Or should I just buy some acrylic paints?
Diane

Hi Diane, you may want to try a sanding sealer before using the paints that you have mentioned. I believe that might prevent the ply from absorbing the water in paint. Be sure to let the sealer dry completely. Test a piece of scrap and experiment. Steve

[Dragon]

Never heard of sanding sealer. Will have to check that at the store.

[Mick Walker]

Diane, I sand my plywood to 400 grit before I apply the pattern and cut it. There is very little sanding to do when the cutting is finished. I use Formby's tung oil finish, applying at least 3 or 4 coats sometimes more depending on the look I want. To use water base finishes you can apply water to the wood with a damp sponge which will raise the grain on the plywood. Let it dry and then sand it down as smooth as you like. Remove the dust and apply your finish, it may raise the grain slightly again. Just sand it lightly and apply your next coat. Try this on some scraps so you will know what to expect. Good luck with it. The tung oil will turn the wood slightly amber color.

[BobD]

Sanding sealer is usually just a thinned-down shellac. If you have shellac, dilute it heavily with lacquer thinner or denatured alchol and apply it before painting!

Bob

[GrayBeard Phil]

Diane:

Before using any water based finish, wipe with a damp sponge to moisten the wood. This will "Raise the Grain" or in other words, cause small wood fibers to stand up off the surface of the wood. When dry again, use a 180 grit sandpaper, or finer, and very lightly, sand to remove the fibers that are standing up. Use a block of wood, or sanding block, to wrap the sandpaper around.

This extra step will help prevent the wood fibers from poking thru the finish and causing all kinds of problems. Sanding sealer will also prevent water based finishes from Raising the Grain in later finish coatings.

This is just my opinion: Sanding sealer is used a lot with Pine and other soft woods due to the way the softwoods absorbs finish. Sanding sealer will prevent a finish from Pooping the grain in dull hardwoods like Birch. There are whole chapters in finishing books on large pore hardwoods like red oak and applying sanding sealers or other products to fill up the exposed pores to make the end result look professional.

Phil

[Dragon]

Thanks alot everybody for this information. I have some plywood which I would like to use up so I might have to invest in a small container of this sanding sealer. Looking into it this afternoon.
Diane

[Neal Moore]

Diane..I use some stuff called "Folk Art" sanding sealer. It comes in a spray can and once sprayed on the wood it just takes a few minutes to dry. Works great!! I think it's manufactured by by a company called "Plaid". It's good stuff to use if you're going to paint the wood but doesn't work very well with stains. It has sort of a waxy feel when dry and doesn't allow the stain to penetrate the wood. Can't beat it for painting though!!!

[Dragon]

Went to 2 stores today and nobody has heard of sanding sealer. Will have to telephone and check out other places.
Diane