# Sanding Sealer?



## ProScott (Jun 7, 2014)

I recently had a customer hire me to stain his front door. It was new mahogany. He (a former home builder in the 90's) said he wanted 2 coats of oil based sanding sealer. I have not found such a product. Is this a thing of the past or is there an exterior sanding sealer I should use. I cut spar varnish 50% as a sealer and 2 coats of 100% spar, the door came out great. Just wondering what to do next time?


Ryan


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## darrpreb00 (Aug 31, 2008)

You tell him how to do it


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

ProScott said:


> I recently had a customer hire me to stain his front door. It was new mahogany. He (a former home builder in the 90's) said he wanted 2 coats of oil based sanding sealer. I have not found such a product. Is this a thing of the past or is there an exterior sanding sealer I should use. I cut spar varnish 50% as a sealer and 2 coats of 100% spar, the door came out great. Just wondering what to do next time?
> 
> 
> Ryan


Sanding sealer is one of the most amazing things I've ever used on wood. Its great for finding defects in the wood. You only need one coat though. Stain, sanding sealer (when you sand it powders white), dust/clean then your treetop coats of clear


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## darrpreb00 (Aug 31, 2008)

Lacquer based, not oil. He was confused or spitting out random words. Its a base coat


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## Boco (May 18, 2013)

PPg still sells it. I used a ton of it back it the day. I used to do all my closet shelving for pantries with it. If they were natural I would do up to 5 coats then finish with wax. I then used oil impervo for painted shelving and top coated with 2 coats of sanding sealer then wax. Great product for building up mil quickly and sands to a velvety smooth finish. i dont use it much anymore with the new poly they have these days but its a nice product.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

darrpreb00 said:


> Lacquer based, not oil. He was confused or spitting out random words. Its a base coat


I've used oil based sanding sealer before, we brushed out big expensive wood clad windows and mullions with it after staining, and before brushing on 4 coats of oil polyurethane. Wood conditioner or thinned sanding sealer before stain.


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

edit


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## ProScott (Jun 7, 2014)

I have used lots of sanding sealing for interior trim wood. Just never outside. Here in Indianapolis Porter and Sherwin don't carry an exterior sealer. 


Ryan


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## Ric (Oct 26, 2011)

ProScott said:


> I have used lots of sanding sealing for interior trim wood. Just never outside. Here in Indianapolis Porter and Sherwin don't carry an exterior sealer.
> 
> 
> Ryan


There are obviously both, oil and lacquer sanding sealers - and neither would be recommended on an exterior door. De-waxed Shellac (Seal Coat) will also serve as a sanding sealer, but again - not for exteriors. You did right thinning your spar (except in the eyes of the EPA and VOC Regulators), apply a thinned coat to limit the amount of penetration of all subsequent coats, then apply following coats at full body.

You don't find as many varnish sanding sealers on the market as you used to...one reason for that is across the country, polyurethanes have replaced alkyd varnishes (primarily due to VOC limitations) and most polys' data sheets warn against the use of sanding sealers (or stearate containing materials) due to compatibility issues...chances are, you'd have no problem with polys and sealers, but if you do, it's a mess, and un-necessary expense, to clean up.

Sanding sealers have a purpose, but they're not particularly good products. The sealers are laden with soft pigments and chemical soaps that break down easily when sanded...it kind of seals boards well so you can create a more uniform appearance and sheen with fewer coats of varnish than by not using any sealer, but the overall integrity of the system is diminished with the use of sanding sealers.

I gotta agree with darrpreb00's first comment..."You tell _him_ how to do it"...to follow the advice of a consumer that is antagonistic to the recommendations made by paint & coating manufacturers, throws the liability of repair right back on your shoulders, if failure should occur. You are the experienced professional - not the consumer.


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## MNpainter (Jul 17, 2008)

Ric is right. FWIW Ben moore and sherwin williams have oil based snding sealer,have forever. however u did absolutley the right process for an entry door.


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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

Csheils said:


> It's a shellac.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk.com


You can make a shellac version, but most are vinyl modified nitrocelulose. (Waterwhite lacquer).


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## Phinnster (Feb 20, 2013)

Bocco
Can u elaborate on the impervo / sealer/ wax finish u mentioned
And explain the results
Sounds interesting ?


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

I think most of the sanding sealers around these days are VT (vinyl toluene) sealers, based on a vinyl-toluene-modified alkyd resin. That can be made into either a lacquer- or mineral spirit-based product. 

In any case, they are all interior products.


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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

Gough said:


> I think most of the sanding sealers around these days are VT (vinyl toluene) sealers, based on a vinyl-toluene-modified alkyd resin. That can be made into either a lacquer- or mineral spirit-based product.
> 
> In any case, they are all interior products.


Yep to last part. Had to cut my commentary short, something about needing to work during the day. Bathroom breaks are ok though... :whistling2:


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

This? 


Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk.com


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

Are we talking about different products, or is this the overpriced naturally sourced gabagool that yous guys are referencing?


Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk.com


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## burchptg (Jun 30, 2013)

ProScott, what you did IS a sanding sealer. Cutting the varnish seals the wood, and it is also sandable. I'm thinking that he may have wanted 2 coats because a painter in the past did that, probably sanding in between coats. One old school technique is to sand, cut the varnish 2 parts spirits to one part vanish, sand again, cut 1 part spirits to 2 parts varnish, sand again, then varnish neat, 2 coats. It allows the grain to raise up and get smoothed down with the sanding. Each sanding is done with progressively finer paper (150-220-420). If it were my own door I might do it this way, but in the field, I do it just like you did it. 150 grit, 50%, 220 grit, then 2 coats neat.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Csheils said:


> Are we talking about different products, or is this the overpriced naturally sourced gabagool that yous guys are referencing?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk.com


Different stuff.


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