How To: Seal Furniture

July 18, 2016 • Terra George • All Blog Posts • How To

How To: Seal your furniture

One of the most common questions that we get around here is simple, “Do I need to seal my furniture with a Top Coat after painting it?”

YES!! You need to seal furniture all of the time.Top Coat is what protects your piece from damage and makes it washable, scrub-able and a durable finish.

Here’s an example of something that is not sealed:

Sample frames and mason jars we have painted on display in our shop to show our clients and customers our colour line. As you can see over time you can see finger prints and areas where the paint has chipped off. This could have been prevented if I had applied a Top Coat.

SUPERIOR PAINT CO. TOP COATS:

Our Top Coats are a professional grade easy to use ECO-Friendly child and pet safe water base sealer designed specifically for furniture and cabinets.

FLAT:

Flat is our true flat that does not have sheen. This is our most popular Top Coat for at home DIY-ers because it will help hide any imperfections and give your piece a rustic or shabby chic finish.

SEMI-GLOSS:

Semi-Gloss has a little sheen similar to furniture you would find in stores. This is our most popular when we are refinishing our clients furniture and kitchens.

HOW MANY COATS DO I NEED?

1 Coat: for decorative pieces ie frames and home decor pieces

2 Coats: for the body of your furniture

3 Coats: for high traffic areas ie. table tops and kitchen cabinets

HOW TO APPLY:

Brush application:

1. Make sure your piece is completely dry and free from dust and dirt.

2. Stir the top coat well (do not shake the product or it may become bubbly and leave hardened bubbles on you piece).

3. Use a quality brush and apply thin even smooth coat its best to apply on flat surfaces to prevent runs (if you get a run make sure to dab it up with a damp foam brush before it dries).

4. Let dry and reapply if needed.

5. Make sure to wash your brush out with warm water (if not your brush will dry hard as a rock).

HOT TIP: we do not suggest using a roller because rollers tend to apply too heavy of a coat and you risk your piece drying with a cloudy finish.

Top Coat Sealer Applicator Kit:

This is my personal favorite way to apply Top Coat! Its fast easy and gives a higher finish then brushing.

1. Make sure your piece is completely dry and free from dust and dirt.

2. Pour your Top Coat into the applicator bottle leaving room to add 10% water.

3. Dampen your applicator cloth with water and fold into a pad the size of your palm.

4. Lightly saturate the cloth with your Top Coat from one end of the cloth to the other.

5. Wipe on long smooth strokes without starting or stopping. Make sure to reload your cloth with top coat once you feel its starting to pull or drag.

6. Once your piece is completely dry very lightly buff the surface with the sanding pad to remove any blips or dust particles that may have fallen onto your piece during the application.

7. Remove any dust from sanding and reapply.

8. Once finished rinse out your cloth and pour spout with warm water. Put the damp cloth back in the zip lock bag.

HOT TIP: Make sure to label your applicator bottle with what sheen is in it so you know for next time.

HVLP Sprayer Application:

In our shop we always spray our clients pieces because its the fastest application and leaves the highest finish possible.

1. Make sure your piece is dry and free from dust or dirt.

2. Pour your top coat into your pod and mix with 10-20% distilled water.

3. Stir well.

4. Apply a even mist over the surface. Check for any runs, if a run appears use a damp sponge brush and lightly smooth out.

5. Once dry lightly buff the surface with a 600 grit sanding pad to remove any blips.

6. Remove any dust from sanding and reapply.

Things You'll Need

**All products are find in the Top Coat Application Kit

We absolutely love seeing everyone's makeovers so make sure you join and post your work on the Superior Paint Co. Artisans Pinterest board or tag @superiorpaintco on Instagram to have your work featured!

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