What is the best way to finish Plywood?

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What is "sanding" and what is it good for?A Woodworker's Journal newsletter reader asked Michael Dresdner if it would make a big difference to the end result after learning about the properties and uses of sanding sealer.

In all my years of finishing and refinishing furniture, I have never used sanding sealer.Why should it be used?Will it affect the end results of my projects?

An expert answer from A. Michael Dresdner.It is an option that saves time and material in some situations.The porous nature of some woods, like cedar, can cause them to suck up the first few coats of lacquer as if nothing was applied.A good amount of sanding is required to level the pores in other woods.The material of choice would be something that builds up quickly and is easy to sand.Sanding is done with a sanding sealer.

Sanding is a basic coating with zinc stearate added.The stearate, which is a soft, fluffy soap, adds loft to the lacquer, making it build up and fill in pores much faster.It acts as a lubricant when sanding and makes the lacquer softer.It is ideal for trimming the number of coats and the amount of time spent sanding them.It's helpful when you're trying to build a perfect finish.It's useless for the natural look finishes to be more popular.

A warning is in order.The stearates make sanding hard.It is more likely to chip and crack if you put a hard, brittle finish over a soft one.For that reason, stick to one or two coats at the most, and plan to sand most of it back off.Because it tends to shrink as it cures, it is not advisable to use a sanding sealer.

The term "sanding sealer" means different things to different people.A lot of people use nothing but a coat of dewaxed shellac.Pre-mixed 2 lbs. of Zinsser SealCoat.One of the most popular products in this category is the cut of crystal-clear dewaxed shellac.It can be used as a barrier coat between two different finishes, like an oil-based stain and a waterborne top coat.It sands very well.

SealCoat doesn't offer a lot of fast surface build.If you want a sanding sealer that will smooth out the surface of the wood, you should use the stearated variety.General Finishes EF Sanding Sealer is a high quality waterborne sanding Sealer that builds fast and makes sanding smooth and easy.After most of the grain has been evened out with grain filler, a final fill is especially useful for wood with large, open grain.