Work-flow suggestion for a high-gloss finish (with some minor add-ons)

Hi All,

First, the disclaimer: I am just a weekend warrior who is interested in trying new (small) projects and am not really well-versed in a lot of technical know-hows other than some general knowledge... So here goes:

I'm trying to work on a little wall-clock project for my little one. My plan is to get a generic wood board (say, cedar or oak from the lumber yard for cheap, or even Craiglist if I could find one). Then possibly stain or paint to the desired color. And then apply some stickers of the little ones' choosing, before putting a high-gloss finish on the board. After that, I would insert a clock-kit and mount it as a clock.

Can you please advise on a work flow and how to achieve the high-gloss finish like the picture I attached? My goal is, if possible, to have the stickers beneath the finish. Can that be done? What is your recommendation (type of finish, the way to apply/work on it, etc)?

So far I figured it would be something like:

- Drill the hole for the clock-kit first
- Stain/paint
- Apply stickers/scribbles/whatnot
- Apply glossy finish (read that polyurethane may not be the best for high-gloss finish?)
- Polish with *something*, though I don't know what I should be using

???

Many thanks ahead!

 

I don't know how feasible it is for a novice [with available equipment and materials] to get a sheen as glossy as the pic but you should be able to get an acceptable high gloss finish with several coats of gloss poly. I'd sand the wood, stain and apply 2 coats of poly [sanding between coats]. I'd sand the 2nd coat with 220 grit, remove the dust and affix the decals. Apply the final coat [maybe 2] over the decals. Wood that is well sanded and has enough gloss poly applied will have a fairly high shine. After 72 hrs of curing time you could apply furniture polish or floor wax although I don't know how much benefit it will be.

 

Thanks a lot, marksr. Maybe not mirro-esque gloss but would like to have it to be fairly high-gloss.

So regular clear gloss polyurethane would should do it? What if I paint it over instead of stain? Same SOP applies?

Another side question. What is the benefit (if any, as I have read it before some do it this way) of thinning out the polyurethane with mineral spirits/denatured alcohol, then apply a lot more coats?

Thank you again!

 

Thinning most any coating slightly [never more than 10%] helps the coating flow together better helping to reduce brush marks and orange peel. You'd use mineral spirits [sometimes called paint thinner] or naptha for oil base poly - denatured alcohol is for shellac. Thin coats require more coats to get the same mil thickness as thicker coats. You need a minimum of 3 coats of poly [sanding between coats] to get maximum sheen.

You can get high gloss enamels. The oil base enamels tend to have a higher sheen than their latex counterpart. Oil base poly tends to amber what it's applied over so that might be a concern. I wouldn't trust applying water based poly over oil based paint but it would be ok over latex. Waterbased polys aren't quite as shiny as their oil base counterpart of the same sheen.

 

Thank you for the info, especially the water- vs oil-based poly. Really appreciate it.

 

I have looked into project a little bit and have decided to paint instead of stain. Having that said, would a combo like this work to achieve *reasonably* glossy surface?

Black paint

and

Oil-based polyurethane

 

That should do ok but it would be better to use an oil base black enamel and skip the poly.

 

Duly noted! Thanks again.