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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    614

    Default Who uses SANDING SEALER and why

    I have noticed that on this forum and others that I've looked at there are big differences of opinion on using sanding sealer. I use it to :
    1. provide a crisp surface for final sanding. ie making all the tiny furry bits of wood stand on end.
    2. cut down on the number of finish coats needed.

    Now I'm wondering whether either of these is really true. I was thinking that 1 coat of SS is equivalent to maybe 2 or 3 coats of WOP, but I really dont have any evidence of that. So I'd like to hear from people here - who uses it and why (or why not)?

    cheers
    Arron

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Townsville, Nth Qld
    Posts
    102

    Default

    Good question, Arron, am looking forward to the replies.
    I use water on the sanded surface, then sand off the fibres that are left upright by this process, for a smooth finish, esp when using water based paints
    regards,

    Dengy

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Indonesia
    Posts
    45

    Default

    The sanding sealer is the clear coat that is designed to be easily sanded. It is very similar with the top coat but with sanding agent inside.
    The sanding sealer is applied especially to prepare the smooth surfaces before the top coat application.
    Ye it is, the sanding sealer at the first application will raised and stiffen the wood fibres. If the wood fibers are sanded they will be cut off and the smooth surface finish will be obtained.

    EDIT: Link removed by moderator due to tracking software attached to link.

    Thanks

    good luck

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Don't click on the link provided by Wisno, it'll take you to a site nothing to do with sanding sealer and potentially a site with malicious code.
    -Scott

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    140

    Default

    Sanding sealer or grain filler is designed to fill the grain of a timber to give a more uniform and less porous surface prior to application of a finishing media.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Townsville, Nth Qld
    Posts
    102

    Default

    China, do you then apply stain over it OK?
    regards,

    Dengy

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Cheltenham, Melbourne
    Age
    75
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    0

    Default

    There is also the sanding sealer that our host produces. It's a thin liqued that raises the wood nap(?), so that it can be easily sanded.
    Chris
    ========================================

    Life isn't always fair

    ....................but it's better than the alternative.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    614

    Default

    Chinas response reminds me of another purpose of sanding sealer.
    It seems that most of the store-bought sanding sealers are designed with at least three purposes in mind.
    1. provide a good bed for sanding
    2. filling grain
    3. sealing timber

    To my way of thinking, a sanding sealer shouldnt try to double as a grain filler - but thats what they do. No surprise then that theyre often unsatisfactory. I particularly dislike the kind of grain filling that they do - because the filler is a greyish colour it tends to dull the finished job, loosing the impact of the grain.

    So who uses them, or not, and why ?

    cheers
    Arron

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,174

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by chrisb691 View Post
    There is also the sanding sealer that our host produces. It's a thin liqued that raises the wood nap(?), so that it can be easily sanded.
    That's what I use and have found it excellent. It does not fill the grain and dries much quicker than water. My limited experience with water is while it does raises the nap nicely the subsequent coat of finish still seems to raise a bit more because water doesn't hold it in place like a sealer seems to.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Munruben, Qld
    Age
    84
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    0

    Default

    I don't usually use a sanding sealer, just water to raise the fibres and then sand. I probably use more finishing coats this way though.
    Reality is no background music.
    Cheers John

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Toowoomba Q 4350
    Posts
    3,491

    Default

    I use sanding sealer. It's now an absolute essential part of my finishing process. Most of my finishes are either UBeaut's Shellac or Wipe on Poly. I also build a lot of boxes and furniture in pine and getting a good finish on pine is so much easier for me when I use sanding sealer.

    I tend to make my own from the best metho I can find and UBeaut's white shellac. I have the biggest moccona coffee jar and make up a big batch of it. I use it like there's no tomorrow.

    I use it to help in sanding especially on timber that can be very fibrous/fluffy eg pine, meranti, some maple and it is essential as the base coat when I am going to dye the pine. I even use it as a base coat under a wop finish, as the wop seems to go on better after that.

    I don't use it as a filler, for that I prefer timbermate puttys.

    cheers
    Wendy

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    0

    Default

    In my opinion the use of sanding sealer is mainly beneficial in large production/industry. There are for as I experience no advantages of using sealer instead of topcoat (maybe slightly extra thinned) than a little bit easier to sand, dries a bit quicker and is a little cheaper. If you are not finishing the one piece after the other and have a gun specially set up for it, the time and money saved on using the sanding sealer is lost in cleaning the gun and changing to topcoat. Obviously for large quantities there is time and money to be saved.
    I do use it sometimes when I do a whole kitchen at ones or something else big.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Broken Hill
    Posts
    0

    Default

    I use the U-Beaut sanding sealer when ever I turn dry Redgum - I reckon it helps the final 2 coats of U-beaut Shellac "sit" better. I get great results. I used to use Shellawax etc but nothing beats the sanding sealer and shellac combo on dry timbers like our redgum.
    Bruce.
    Three wise middle aged monkeys - "see no pot-belly, feel no bald spot, buy no sports car"

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Deloraine Tasmania
    Age
    59
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Another use for sanding sealers is to slow the penetration of later coats of finishes. End grain is a classic example. To stop end grain from going darker than the rest of the timber a coat of sanding sealer can be applied. I've also read that its good to stop wood from blotching when a finish is applied.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 1999
    Location
    Westleigh, Sydney
    Age
    78
    Posts
    1,332

    Default

    I use shellac as a sanding sealer. It raises the fibres and hardens them so they can be lightly sanded off, giving a much nicer feel. Usually use an oil finish.
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