Another question for you

[*Kev]

Hi again all,
I'm about to start glueing up the coffee table I'm making. I'll be staining with a water based stain. If I stain before glueing will PVA glue stick to the stained wood, or should I glue up and then stain?

Kev

[Chipman]

You can stain and then glue (wattyl waterbased stain) just keep it off the bits to be joined (not that it is all that critical) BUT the question is

Will you need to SAND AFTER assembly? If the answer is yes, then you are just making extra work for yourself as you will have to restain it and run the risk of a patchy finish.

The best advice is:

Sand as much as you can before assembly
Wet the grain down with a damp cloth and when dry, sand again (as the stain will swell the grain)

Avoid getting glue everywhere as the stain will not penetrate through glue. Carefully clean it off with a damp cloth without smearing it everywhere

If you are gluing up your own boards for the top, you can expect quite a bit of sanding to get it flat and smooth.. do this as a separate operation.

Hope this helps,

Chipman

[*Kev]

Thanks Chipman,

I've made all the bits and sanded to 320 grit, so it should only need a very light sand after staining. I just wasn't sure about the glueing.

I read somewhere that stain won't take if sanded beyond 320... is that true?

Cheers
Kev

[Chipman]

Thanks Chipman,

I've made all the bits and sanded to 320 grit, so it should only need a very light sand after staining. I just wasn't sure about the glueing.

I read somewhere that stain won't take if sanded beyond 320... is that true?

Cheers
Kev

Really no point going beyond 320 anyway..... it depends on the wood and the stain you are using too.

YOU DON"T want to sand after staining! Dampen your wood off and when dry, then sand with your 320 again. Your next sanding should be after the first coat of varnish... (Polyurethane?) If it were me, I would brush on two coats of polyurethane sand it back smooth with wet/dry paper with a little water and a spot or two of detergent...be very careful not to cut through to the stain or wood and then finish off with a couple of coats of wipe on poly (or even do the whole thing in wipe on poly... many of us on these forums love the stuff...easy to use and excellent results) and then wax it when finished.


Cheers,

Chipman

Some like to use our sponsor's (Mr UBEAUT'S) EEE Ultra shine to buff the surface up before the waxing. I haven't used it yet but it sounds good.

[*Kev]

Thanks Chipman - sounds like good advice

Kev