What sealer to use?

hI all,recently scored some recycled Jarrah boards,denailed n nice n straight.Put some through planer and thats where any resemblence to Jarrah i used in the past ends,Flattened them okay and found if i fed them through with the grain they were faily smooth but pass my hand over them against the grain it felt almost splintery,a fair bit of checking was also evident.Handplaning with a vey sharp iron gave reasonable surface but didnt remove fine cracks. Wondering if anyone else has had similar experience and what type sealer they used to fill the crazing prior to applying finish.

Hi Sorgi,

I don't come from the west but I know that with old jarrah checking both internally and on the surface affected about 80% of the boards milled. In the 90's Bunnibgs as it then was overcame this problem by subjecting the timber to fully controlled drying from the green freshly milled state. They actually reversed the quantity affected by checking to 20% and 80% unchecked. A fantastic breakthrough. Unfortunately politics then intervened and reserved most of the jarrah forest from harvesting and made this discovery largely irrelevant.

As far as your issue is concerned I've recently been using,first time for me, a fantastic two pack epoxy lacquer for timber kitchen polishing. The brand is Vernici. It comes as paint system ie a sealer coat product activated by the addition of a hardener and some thinner followed by sanding then another application of this coating if necessary followed by sanding. Then ideally two coats of topcoat which is again topcoat plus the same hardener plus some thinner. You shouldn't need to do any sanding of the topcoats but a light rub with a de-nibber cloth might be necessary. The secret of a good finish will lie in getting a really good flat finish with the sealer coats that you then build on with the topcoat. It's a great product for dealing with timber that is subject to easily raised grain which is why I think it may do your job very well.You will probably need to add a dash of inhibitor over there to allow for the higher temperatures than we are used to.

Don't be tempted to go what I call "one coat too many". That's where you do that extra coat that converts a top job with a good bit of 3D grain still in evidence in the paint film to one where the timber ends up with a completely plane surface. This is not to my taste although some like the effect of a glass like surface.

PM me if you want the fine detail about sanding grits, coating intervals, application rates etc. I don't want to load up forumites with that level of detail.

Good Luck, Old Pete

Thanks for your reply Old Pete,seems this jarrah fits into the 80%checking category which is a shame as these boards are 200x30mm in 4-5m lengths,unsure of their previous use but I,d say definitely structural and quite possibly exposed to the elements.
On my current project I am using Timbermate thinned with water to form a thick slurry which I brush on after first applying a coat of shellac.Brush filler on with the grain then across and remove excess off with rubber squeegee before its completely dry and finally a light sand to remove any surface residue.At this stage you are left with a smooth flat surface ready to take finish,I put on 2 coats of homemade wipe on poly and left it at that,after assembly I will apply another couple of coats after another sanding.
Plan to make kitchen benchtops in near future,maybe in same timber,reckon 2pack epoxy lacquer you mentioned could be finish of choice for this project,appreciate heads-up Pete

Hi Again Sorgi,

My product of choice for timber bench tops would be three coats of Estapol 7008 two pack epoxy brushing varnish. Horrible gas off for about 24 hours each coat but you then have a 10 to 15 year solution. If you use this product just lay it on carefully in a full coat and THEN LEAVE IT ALONE to self level. Don't even think about brushing it around and trying to go back to thin spots as it dries. It doesn't work that way!!. You can spray the product but you would need to get it done in a professional spray booth with all the appropriate gear. If 7008 has a drawback it is that it comes in high gloss only. That's part of the reason its so hard as it hasn't had the light dispersant agent added to make it a lesser gloss level. Good luck with both projects. Cheers Old Pete

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Originally Posted by sorgi

Thanks for your reply Old Pete,seems this jarrah fits into the 80%checking category which is a shame as these boards are 200x30mm in 4-5m lengths,unsure of their previous use but I,d say definitely structural and quite possibly exposed to the elements.
On my current project I am using Timbermate thinned with water to form a thick slurry which I brush on after first applying a coat of shellac.Brush filler on with the grain then across and remove excess off with rubber squeegee before its completely dry and finally a light sand to remove any surface residue.At this stage you are left with a smooth flat surface ready to take finish,I put on 2 coats of homemade wipe on poly and left it at that,after assembly I will apply another couple of coats after another sanding.
Plan to make kitchen benchtops in near future,maybe in same timber,reckon 2pack epoxy lacquer you mentioned could be finish of choice for this project,appreciate heads-up Pete

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We use water based sealer. The polyurethane sealer will protect your furniture from wind and rain if it is an outdoor item, and paint-chipping and surface scratches from household cleaning, pets and children.