Painting Wood with ALEXSEAL Clear Gloss
Before proceeding, prepare and clean the wood as described in the Wood Substrate Preparation section in “Substrate Preparation & Priming”
Note
The paint material gets soaked into the wood , therefore the surface will required three or four clear applications in order to build up the proper film thickness. Up to twelve coats will be needed for an effective application. 3 - 4 coats per day is an acceptable practice. The final topcoat application is usually only 2 - 3 coats in order to maximize the flow-out.
For Spray application
Follow the instructions for mixing and application of the ALEXSEAL Clear Gloss in the technical data sheet.
- Sand bare wood smooth with 100 - 180 grit sandpaper.
- It is recommended to seal the wood with a quality epoxy resin using a UV stable hardener. ALEXSEAL does not recommend applying T0125 directly to bare wood because the wood may discolor.
- Machine sand the epoxy surface using 220 grit sandpaper to achieve an adequate surface profile for the finish coat.
- Remove sanding dust with clean cloths and clean, dry compressed air. Wipe with ALEXSEAL Wipe Down Solvent (A9049) using the “Two Rag Cleaning Method”.
- The surface is now ready for the first of three or four topcoat applications building up the proper film thickness. Apply ALEXSEAL Clear Gloss. Apply 3 - 4 build-up coats to a wet film thickness (WFT) of 3 - 4 mils (75 - 100 microns) per coat.
- Allow to dry overnight and sand with 320 - 400 grit. Finer grits are recommended for use on corners and curved surfaces to minimize coating removal.
- Repeat steps 4 - 7 until 10 - 12 coats have been applied and the wood grain is completely filled and sealed.
- Allow to dry overnight and sand with 320 grit.
- Remove sanding dust with clean cloths and clean, dry compressed air. Wipe with ALEXSEAL Wipe Down Solvent (A9049) using the “Two Rag Cleaning Method”.
- Apply the final 2 - 3 coats of ALEXSEAL Clear Gloss (T0125) to a wet film thickness (WFT) of 2 - 3 mils (50 - 75 microns) per coat.
For Brush application
Before applying the clear coat it is necessary to create a smooth and clean surface.
- Sand the wood part with P320, remove all fibers by sanding perpendicular to the fiber direction. Water the surface with warm water and repeat the sanding process.
- Remove sanding dust with clean cloths and clean, dry compressed air. Wipe with ALEXSEAL Wipe Down Solvent (A9049) using the “Two Rag Cleaning Method”. The substrate must be clean, dry and free from dust, grease, oil and other contaminations before applying the clear coat.
- Mix the clear coat with the following mixing ratio:
2 parts by volume T0125 ALEXSEAL Topcoat 501 Clear Gloss
1 part by volume C5012 ALEXSEAL Topcoat Converter Brush
10% R5015 ALEXSEAL Topcoat Reducer Brush - Brush base layer with 10% reduced clear coat.
- After drying, do a light sanding with P400. Repeat until no pores are visible and the desired surface quality is achieved.
- Sand the first layer of clear coat after at least 48 hours (4 days is optimal) of drying with P320-400 to even out the surface. Remove all dust before applying the next layer of clear coat.
- Mixing ratio for the top layer:
1 part by volume T0125 ALEXSEAL Topcoat 501 Clear Gloss
1 part by volume C5051 ALEXSEAL Topcoat Converter Spray
17% R5015 ALEXSEAL Topcoat Reducer Brush - Brush top layer with 17% reduced clear coat. If the desired surface finish is not achieved sand with 320 and repeat 2nd step. For larger objects and highest requirements 2nd layer can also be applied by spray application.