by WOODWEB's Finishing Team:
John Buries and Bob Niemeyer
Q. I run a small cabinet shop here in western New Jersey and all of my experience is with finishing hardwoods.
I'm currently working with white pine making a large entertainment center. I use Magnalac lacquer and minwax stains. Can you offer me any advice on finishing white pine. Do I proceed the same way that I do with say red oak, cherry, or maple? I just became aware of your web site and I think it is fantastic.
A. Bob Niemeyer responds: Before finishing white Pine make sure everthing is sanded to 180 grit or better,there is no need to go finer than 220. Before staining you may want to apply a "wash coat" of Magnalac.
This can be done by reducing the finish at least 100% or more,and then spray on one wet coat to substrate, let dry and stain over this coat. This will give you more color control while staining.
Practice on some samples first, you may have to adjust the reduction of the "wash Coat" to get the proper bite with the stain. With a little practice this will give you more of a Furniture Finish than a Do-it-yourself look. Have fun with it and good luck !!
