I'm building a TV/stereo cabinet and have got all of the pieces cut and
jointed. All I need to do now is assemble, sand, stain and finish with
clear coat.
I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
surfaces to be glued?
Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
If anyone can recommend a good site for wood finishing tips, I'd also
appreciate it. Thanks.
On Dec 23, 11:00 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> I'm building a TV/stereo cabinet and have got all of the pieces cut and
> jointed. All I need to do now is assemble, sand, stain and finish with
> clear coat.
>
> I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
> if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
> assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
> surfaces to be glued?
>
> Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
> the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
>
> If anyone can recommend a good site for wood finishing tips, I'd also
> appreciate it. Thanks.
Stain and clear coat as much as you can before assembly. Tape off the
areas that will be glued later. 1/4" masking tape is really handy.
That works for me... but YMMV
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a TV/stereo cabinet and have got all of the pieces cut and
> jointed. All I need to do now is assemble, sand, stain and finish with
> clear coat.
>
> I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
> if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
> assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
> surfaces to be glued?
>
> Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
> the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
>
> If anyone can recommend a good site for wood finishing tips, I'd also
> appreciate it. Thanks.
>
I prestain on floating panels or only in very hard to reach areas. Other
than that I typically sand and stain last.
You learn to recognize when staining before is best for you and when it is
better after assembly.
Neither before or after is technically correct.
On 23 Dec 2006 20:00:36 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>I'm building a TV/stereo cabinet and have got all of the pieces cut and
>jointed. All I need to do now is assemble, sand, stain and finish with
>clear coat.
>
>I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
>if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
>assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
>surfaces to be glued?
Absolutely, you *don't* want stain or any other finish interfering with
the adhesion of the glue.
>
>Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
>the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
>
I would put all the finish you intend to use,up to and including one coat
of wax before assembly. It is just easier that way and the results look
much better. It's kind of a pain as you have to be very careful with the
pieces following the finishing step, but not having corners or other
trouble spots makes it worth it.
>If anyone can recommend a good site for wood finishing tips, I'd also
>appreciate it. Thanks.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
On Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:07:48 GMT, B A R R Y <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Shelves often need to be clearcoated
>before assembly if you can properly reach inside with your finishing
>method.
Sorry, I meant "CAN'T" reach.
For instance, I can reach inside a shoe cubby well enough to wipe
varnish, but not well enough to spray.
If I were spraying, I'd do it before assembly. I'd apply wiping
varnish after assembly. Both instances would be stained before glue
up, if they were being stained at all.
On 23 Dec 2006 20:00:36 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
>I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
>if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
>assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
>surfaces to be glued?
Yes.
>Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
>the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
No, maybe, and yes. <G>
Some parts (or subassemblies) are better off finished before assembly,
like panels that can shrink and show edges, hard to reach parts like
skinny & deep shelves, etc... Shelves often need to be clearcoated
before assembly if you can properly reach inside with your finishing
method. The same panel that I'll pre-stain will probably get
clearcoated along with everything else.
Stain and/or finish the parts that need it ahead of time, and save
time and make your life easier by doing the rest all at once. It
all depends on the particular piece.
An excellent book:
<http://www.amazon.com/Tauntons-Complete-Illustrated-Guide-Finishing/dp/1561585920/sr=8-1/qid=1166961844/ref=sr_1_1/104-7024228-0566367?ie=UTF8&s=books>
In the book, Jefff describes and shows finishing planning in detail
and photos.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a TV/stereo cabinet and have got all of the pieces cut and
> jointed. All I need to do now is assemble, sand, stain and finish with
> clear coat.
>
> I understand that it's best to stain before assembly, but I'm wondering
> if the stain will affect the glue's ability to bond during subsequent
> assembly. If so, should masking tape be used to prevent staining the
> surfaces to be glued?
>
> Should the clear coat be applied before assembly as well, or perhaps
> the order should be stain > assemble > clearcoat?
>
> If anyone can recommend a good site for wood finishing tips, I'd also
> appreciate it. Thanks.
>
I almost never finish before assembly. The exception would be where I will
have to sand, but know it won't be practical. Usually you can let difficult
corners slide a bit.