sammything Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hello Everyone! first all, this is my first project, ever. (The Coventry Cottage). I have no woodworking skills, and am clumsy and accident prone. What I do have, is a ton on enthusiasm. Of course, here I have opened the box, and have run in to my first question. The kit says to use a sealant of 50% alcohol, 50% shellac. My husband, after I treated one piece, said I should use polyurethane. Any thoughts on this? How many coats should I use? IF I used polyurethane on the other pieces, should I re-treat the first pice with it as well? Again, enthusiasm, not talent.. Thanks in advance for your help! Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Welcome to the forum Lori! I don't seal anything, so I can't answer your question in regard to that, so I will wait for others who use sealers to answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Welcome, Lori, First I decide what I want to stain, because stain will not go on over sealant. Second, I wish that particular alcohol/ shellac mixture were not given, or at least not as the only sealant. I happen to use Deft clear poly sanding sealer, or you could use a primer. The main purpose of sealing is to minimize warping & splintering (ha!), so I seal the whole plywood sheet before removing any pieces, first one side & let it dry flat, then the second side & let it dry flat. If I'm staining anything I mask it off from the rest of the sheet & apply the stain & let that dry & then proceed with the sealing. Some people prefer not to seal because they feel they get a better bond of wood to wood with carpenter's wood glue without sealing; I haven't noticed any appreciable difference (please do NOT assemble your kit with hot glue unless you use it to tack the edges together while the wood glue cures; I use masking tape to hold mine together until the glue is dry). As you read the posts & blogs you'll get lots of ideas to pick & choose among for whatever will work best for you. Ditto for tools. Proceed with caution, remembering tools that can bite usually will. A new sharp blade is actually safer than a dull blade, so keep extras on hand. I use a Stanley utility knife for house kits, I save my little craft knife for furniture. Above all, take your time & enjoy yourself, and take pictures so we can marvel with ou at your progress & results ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammything Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 havanaholly, should I re-seal the pice that I did in 50/50 with poly? I really want it to hold well. Thanks so much for all the advice. I KNOW I'll need it! L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Put a lttle poly on a non-kit piece of the plywood you sealed with the 50/50 solution to see what it does; if it doesn't get gooey on you it ought to be OK. I figure sealed is sealed & I don't go around reinventing the wheel. I already had the Deft before I began building Greenleaf kits, so I just started with it. BTW I'm a great believer is testing ideas on scraps before committing to doing it on something I want to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenlaine Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hi, welcome sammything. I'm with Holly on this one. I seal all the wood pieces front and back with shellac or stain the pieces that I want to color. But only after I have stained the piece with the color I like, will I use urethane. Looking forward to lots of pictures and watching your progress. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless1 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 first all, this is my first project, ever. (The Coventry Cottage). I have no woodworking skills, and am clumsy and accident prone. I have never let clumsiness or lack of skill slow me down, and neither should you! ;) I'm no help on sealers, as I only use waterbased sealer (due to lack of ventilation) or spray primer (on the balcony) and often don't bother sealing at all if I'm doing something that doesn't require a smooth surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuppa-Tea Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I sealed mine with matte finish spray. I use it for wallpaper as well and figured why not??? But I also was planning to paint the walls so I used a primer as well, after all the sanding and spackling. I think it was Havanaholly who told me about the spackle... applying a thin layer and scraping it off with a large, flat scraper. I used my Pampered Chef dough thingy. It really helps to fill in the wood grain and any knots or pits. I love the Coventry Cottage... it's so pretty! And I like the way it's open on two sides. Please post some pics as you go along! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogster Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I'm new too, no seriously. The ONLY reason I can see to seal the surfaces before anything else is to reduce splinters. Cabinetmakers don't seal all their wood stock before using it. Since the 'good' side is already punched through you're really only doing anything to the bad side. My plan is to simply flip the sheet over and finish cut through all the cuts with a sharp knife. Punch out is really just a term. Unless you're Mike Tyson, then I guess felon, criminal, etc would also be part of your vocabulary. And wood glue does work far better with raw wood. Otherwise you're trying to bond to the sealer or primer or paint. Want to know how to work with wood? Get Norm Abram's 'The New Yankee Workshop' book. There's also a series on PBS. This guy is THE authority on working with wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadie Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Sammything, I am SO glad you asked those questions!! I am new to this too..and was wondering the same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 !!WELCOME!! looking forward to seeing and hearing about your progress! coventry cottage is so sweet! nutti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMadWoman Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Welcome Lori!! I must be tough as nails because I've never had a problem with the wood from the kits splintering to the point of causing pain, therefore I don't see the need to seal the wood. Of course that's just me! ;) I do prime the wood with a general household primer before I paint or wallpaper because it helps to get a better finish from your paint/wallpaper. I wouldn't use polyurethane! If you're going to paint, I don't believe the paint will stick! :o Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogster Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Welcome Lori!! I must be tough as nails because I've never had a problem with the wood from the kits splintering to the point of causing pain, therefore I don't see the need to seal the wood. Of course that's just me! :lol: Greenleaf wood seems to be a bit softer, I finish the cut with a Nack knife, and the splintering is minimal, and the splinters are pretty soft. Of course the first thing I do to any part once removed is blast over the edges with a palm (jitterbug) sander to knock off any slivers. I think Greenleaf houses are 1/8" luan plywood. Dura-Craft OTOH seem to be about 1/16" plywood, and it's really hard. Slivers off that stuff are like sewing needles. Up to nw I've found no need to seal the wood, and I think it's a lot more resilient to water than you might think. I've been using a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust after using joint compound to putty out the foundation. I've had no problems so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Lori, the Building Team is building and blogging on the Coventry Cottage, if you have any more questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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