[jillsy]

Can someone...anyone...please riddle me this. What's the difference between "varnish" "sealer" and "finish"?

I've got all three and after reading the back of the labels, there doesn't seem to be any difference. Any idea on which is the best to use?

Oh, I also have different kinds: matte, semi-gloss, high-gloss, and satin. I tend to use matte the most, but it appears most people like to use satin. Any particular reason?

Jill

[AlArchie]

Finish is what you put on your piece as a final coating. It can be varnish, "sealer", lacquer, shelac or polyurethane.

Lacquers, varnishes, and polyurethanes, are usually final "finishes".

Sealers are to finishing unpainted wood as "primers" are to painted surfaces. You put a sealer or primer on as a first coat seal the porus structure of the wood, so that the second or final coats adhere properly.
Sealers may aso contain a "filler", a thicker substance that will actually fill open grain like oak and ash, so there are not voids in the final appearance.

Sanding sealers also tend to raise the grain a bit as they seal so you can sand the dried surface to ultra smooth before applying your final finish.

Now, to clarify things even further, you can use the varnishes, polys, shellacs and lacquers as sealers, if you want, and you can use the sealers and shellac (usually used as a sealer on pine and spruce) as a final finish, if you so choose!

I just "finished" a base for a carving from a section of pine stump, and sealed it first with shellac to stop the pitch from bleeding through, used a Cabot sanding sealer to seal the grain structure and "finished"it with a satin spray polyurethane varnish.

On painted work, I like to use a sanding sealer first, then either a spray primer or gesso base coat, followed by my acrylic colors and finished with a Krylon spray finish, which I think is a type of polyurethane varnish.

Gloss, semi-gloss, satin or flat finish is up to your own likes!

Clear as mud, but it covered the ground!

Al

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Here's my two cents worth:

Lacquers: Highly volatile, dangerous fumes, quick drying, requires lacquer thinner to clean up. Being quick drying they are much harder to brush than mineral spirit based finishes. My advice? Stay away from them if your just starting out.

Polyurethane: Long drying times make this type easy to work with. Use mineral spirits to clean up. Not so volatile and the fumes are not that dangerous. Dries to a hard finish. My advice? This is the medium to go with. Available in matte, satin, or gloss.

Matte finish is supposed to be totally flat, no shine or reflection. At least that what the word matte means to me. However, this finish still has a soft sheen. Satin finish has a soft, warm sheen. This is probably the reason most use it. Gloss is shiny. Reflects light. My advice? Use the satin finish.

Some carvers use Boiled Linseed oil for their pieces. My advice? Don't use it. Over time it collects dust like a magnet and your carvings look dirty. Polyurethane on the other hand can be gently washed with mild soap and water.

Other carvers use wax on their pieces. Nothing against it but just remember that once you wax it you're stuck! You can't put another finish on after it's been waxed. Wax also collects dirt like a magnet and the only way to remove it is with some type of solvent. My advice? Wax is great for your bases but I'd keep it off my carving.

Sealers: These are used to seal the surface of the wood, close the pores, to accept the final finish. I've been carving for over thirty and haven't used a sealer on any of my pieces yet. Don't plan on it.

In sum, I would go to the paint store and buy the smallest can of Minwax Polyurethane Satin finish. When you open it up it should be as clear as water. Over time it will start to turn an amber color and thicken a little. When I see this happening I discard whats left and go buy a new small can. Otherwise your carving will also have this amber tint. Also, make sure you get a good brush with natural bristles. A good brush will last a long time if taken care of. I get the cutter type of brush that has an angled end. You can reach into spaces with that pointed end. An 1 1/2" inch brush works great.

Thats all the advice I can give. Hope it's useful.

[jillsy]

I got it!

Thank you for clarifying! Yes, now I get it. What was really confusing me is that I keep hearing that sealer should be used before painting. But, the matte sealer I have says to use after painting. Now that I know it can be used for both, I'm ok. I have been using primer (and recently gesso) as a basecoat and then satin polyeurethane so it looks like I'm on the right track.

[Donna_T]

And to get more confusing....depending on what you're carving and the painting technique: try painting with thin washes of watered down acryllic or water colors. This technique lets the wood show through and is especially good for caricatures, people, most animals, etc. If you're painting a decoy, then by all means you probably want a gesso or base coat to prepare the wood and you want it to be completly covered with paint. However, one of the best things I learned about painting was the "wash" method. Once dry, you can buff it with a wadded up piece of brown paper (shopping) bag and finish it off with a light spritz (spray) of satin or non-gloss lacquer to seal it and protect it against future fingerprints and handling wear.

Just something else to consider.
Donna T

[Ashbys]

I don't mean to add any confusion, but one thing you have to consider is where is the carving going to be once it is finished.
Simple right? It is the real base line of determining what finish is needed and what finish to use.
You do not want an inside finish (polyurethane) on something which will be outside and subject to the weather. When water becomes in contact with urethane it will turn white or cloudy. Boiled linseed oil on the other hand is water repelent and is much more suited to outdoor conditions


Sealers are just that , they seal the mirco pours in the wood. A typical sealer, process is apply the sealer, (let dry) sand the wood with a extra fine (220 grit- 400 grit sand paper) then reapply the sealer and sand again. Depending on the finish you hope to achieve will determine the ammount of coats needed and the ammount of times it will be lightly sanded.
As you improve and you become more adapt in using your knives the less sanding you will do as the knive cut will perform a clean smooth surface finish which needs no additional smoothing.

After the wood is sealed , you can stain, paint or put on your finial finish. Most finial finishes are clear. They do more to reflect the finish underneath than to produce a finish of their own. To build depth in a finish they are normally layered , one coat, let dry light sanding , recoat, let dry finer sanding , light coat . These will be your varishes , oils, wax, boiled linseed oils.
If you check the finishing sections there is a lot of information on how to aquire different finish results

Remember,
The better your prep is before the finish is added the finer finish you will achieve.

Hope this helps a bit
Ash

[jillsy]

Thanks, Ash. I didn't know you could seal before staining. New lesson learned.

[Ashbys]

You can with some , but also remember oil and water don't mix. So if you use an oil base sealer a water based stain will not hold,

for staining , best line , use a pre stain , this will give you a more balanced stain, then stain , then sealer . '

Ash

[Linda L]

Ash, can you give me some direction on what "pre-stain" is? Maybe a brand name?

I have about 40 new drawers and doors I have to stain and finish for my kitchen renovation. Oak and oak plywood. Would be nice to be able to use something that "fills" some of the open and end grains to get a better and more even finish.

Looked at sanding sealer and it says you can't stain over it---makes sense, it's sealed!

Is the "pre-stain" something different? Never heard of it, but sure sounds like something I could use about now!

Linda

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Minwax has a pre stain sealer