LOML wants table painted black

[Wild Turkey]

She went to an auction (yes, I know, dangerous 
 ) and came home with a small table she wants to go with some oriental black lacquer pieces we have.  Table is about 2' x 4', with turned legs and is very light.  No intricate details.

I suspect the table is made from poplar due to visible heartwood but it might be maple or something foreign.

My concern is that I would normally use an off-the-shelf pre-mix paint but I'm afraid it would be too thick a finish and hide some of the detail.

What would you all use to turn it glossy black?  I will be using an HVLP gun.

Not sure what the finish is yet (she just showed me the table today) and I will be sanding the top to remove damage to the existing finish, which I suspect is shellac.

Should I figure on stripping the entire finish or just lightly sanding it for adhesion???

[Stwood_]

Poly with black transtint dye, or......there is also black lacquer.

[jteneyck]

I wouldn't strip it unless there are defects in the finish that would be harder to fix than the effort required to strip it.  Assuming there aren't, then just clean it really well with dish soap and water to remove dirt and then with Naptha or mineral spirits at least twice to remove any wax.  Then sand lightly with 325 grit or something similar to scuff up the finish.  I would start any refinishing process by spraying a light coat of Sealcoat shellac to seal in any wax and provide a bond coat for whatever goes on top.  You can put black Transtint in the Sealcoat and if you put enough in it may give you the black you are looking for.  If so, spray a couple coats and then topcoat with a WB clear coat.  GF's Enduro Clear Poly and HP Poly are dead clear.  Another option would be to put black UTC in the Sealcoat or in the clearcoat.  I think that will give you a deeper, more opaque black.  If you would rather not fool around trying to make your own lacquer, then you could try TC's EM-6600 WB Raven Black Lacquer.  I would not use GF's Enduro Black Poly because it has a high viscosity and is likely to fill any fine details. 

I hope some of that helps.

John

[Wild Turkey]

What would you use to topcoat the Raven Black and get a gloss finish?

How much Transtint would it take to make a quart of WB poly a true black? Am I reading the chart correctly when it calls for 1 oz per quart?

thanks for the help

now to make space in my shop to spray

[jteneyck]

What would you use to topcoat the Raven Black and get a gloss finish?

How much Transtint would it take to make a quart of WB poly a true black? Am I reading the chart correctly when it calls for 1 oz per quart?

thanks for the help

now to make space in my shop to spray

Yeah, the Raven Black only comes in satin, so to get gloss you'll have to spray another product over it.  I'm not sure what TC recommends but I'd go with whatever they say.  

The 1 oz/quart for Transtint dyes refers to using it as a dye, not as a toner.  The only way to know if it will give you the black you need would be to make up a little sample.  I typically take 30 ml (1 oz) of the shellac, topcoat, etc. that I want to use as the toner base and then count drops of Transtint that I add to it.  Typical might be 5 - 10 drops, but I've gone to at least 30 drops on occasion to get really deep colors.  Anyway, I add some drops then take a little artist's brush and put some on a piece of scrap.  If it's way too light I add more drops and repeat, if it's close I might apply another coat and see if that does it.  There's no right way, but the wrong way is to use your project as the test specimen.  Once you figure out the ratio of Transtint to finish, just scale it up to how much you'll need.  I've counted hundreds of drops before into a quart. 

John

[Dave Diaman]

As John already mentioned I would use a tinted poly or lacquer. Both General Finishes and Target Coatings have black and white. If you need to match a different color ML Campbell can match any color under the sun.

[Cooler]

I used General Finishes imitation milk paint.  Applied with a foam brush it leaves zero brush marks.  I then topped it with oil based poly clear, gloss.  With  horizontal surfaces you can lay down a heavy coat and let gravity self-level the finish.  

If you don't have a major dust problem this is an easy finish to apply and it will be jet black and very durable.

[jteneyck]

I used General Finishes imitation milk paint.  Applied with a foam brush it leaves zero brush marks.  I then topped it with oil based poly clear, gloss.  With  horizontal surfaces you can lay down a heavy coat and let gravity self-level the finish.  

If you don't have a major dust problem this is an easy finish to apply and it will be jet black and very durable.

I was wondering if the milk paint would fill in too much of the detail he wants to preserve.  I've used GF's Milk Paint and it is very nice stuff.  Just wonderingif it's too thick.

John

[Cooler]

I was wondering if the milk paint would fill in too much of the detail he wants to preserve.  I've used GF's Milk Paint and it is very nice stuff.  Just wonderingif it's too thick.

John

I coated over red oak and the grain showed through.  

Watch the GF video on how to apply the finish using a foam brush.  I was amazed how perfectly it applied.  I had Sherwin-Williams match the GF milk paint for color and sheen (custom mix), and while they were able to match the color and sheen perfectly they could not match the perfectly smooth application results.  I bought S-W's best paint (indoor) and it simply did not measure up on the application end.  

Note:  If you don't topcoat the milk paint it scars easily.

[Splinter Puller]

She went to an auction (yes, I know, dangerous 
 ) and came home with a small table she wants to go with some oriental black lacquer pieces we have.  Table is about 2' x 4', with turned legs and is very light.  No intricate details.

I suspect the table is made from poplar due to visible heartwood but it might be maple or something foreign.

My concern is that I would normally use an off-the-shelf pre-mix paint but I'm afraid it would be too thick a finish and hide some of the detail.

What would you all use to turn it glossy black?  I will be using an HVLP gun.

Not sure what the finish is yet (she just showed me the table today) and I will be sanding the top to remove damage to the existing finish, which I suspect is shellac.

Should I figure on stripping the entire finish or just lightly sanding it for adhesion???

I spray oil based Rustoleum enamel with my HPLV conversion gun all the time.  Thin it by adding 10 percent acetone.  It's much runnier then latex paint and sprays fine. 


I find it much cheaper and faster then using rattle can for most larger projects... even with the clean up mess.