How to Lacquer Furniture

Lacquering furniture adds to its life and beauty and can be done either by spraying or with a paint brush.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• sand paper
• tack cloth
• siphon-feed spray gun with an external mix nozzle.
• lacquer
• large soft brush

1. Before lacquering wood, prepare it by filling and sealing it. Sand the wood with a fine paper and use a clean tack cloth to clean the dust.

2. Lacquer is very fast drying so it is usually sprayed on furniture. If the piece that you want to finish is small, use an aerosol can. If the piece is large, use the spray gun. Hang or prop the piece so that you can get all sides without moving it.

3. Moving from right to left, move the sprayer in a horizontal path. The sprayer should be kept parallel to the surface being sprayed and each pass should overlap the previous one by about 1/3.

4. Lacquer made for brushing dries slower than lacquer made for spraying but you still have to work quickly. Make sure that you apply a generous flow of lacquer and apply it quickly in one long stroke. Apply the next stroke before the first one start to set and just barely overlap the edges.

5. Most pieces need at least 2 or three coats of lacquer. If it is a surface that is used a lot like a table top, it could take more. If you used a sprayer, the piece should be ready for a second coat in about an hour, if you used a brush, in about 2 hours. After the third coat has been applied, let the piece dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are spraying, use a backdrop that can be moved easily to catch the overspray.
• Wear a mask
• Practice on cardboard boxes first.
• Defects can be removed by sanding the area between coats.
• Never lacquer over varnish or paint.
• Lacquer is very flammable. Use it only where you have good ventilation, away from heat and flames including pilot lights.