# Lacquer scratches easily?



## pakle (Mar 28, 2017)

Hi, Newbie question: I applied one coat of Deft brush lacquer to a nightstand top (Ikea-like) so that it will be a little more durable. After one coat, it looks decent (not looking for perfect) but scratches very easily, much more easily than before the lacquer. Moving a clock will show a scratch. I know you're supposed to do at least 2-3 coats, but how will additional coats make it more scratch resistant? Perhaps lacquer is not the best finish for durability, but it's what I have right now, so trying to make it work. Thanks!


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hello Pakle,

This is a hard one to really answer well.

There are more questions than answers that must be asked and without seeing the work it becomes even harder to advise..

Was the finish applied correctly? What kind of finish was it exactly (Lacquer is to generic...like saying "paint")? Was it allowed to dry properly? Was there already a factor finish (like a siliconized spray) on the rough furniture that wasn't taken off?...and the list goes on.

Even with the best finishes...be they traditional (my area of work and use) or a modern plastic finish...Multiple coats can make a difference, but all surfaces can be scratched depending on what is drug across the top of them.

Take supper high end Bar and Table tops that get an expensive Epoxy Coating (one of the few times I have employed modern finishes on wood)...these too have to be repolished at least once a year to stay sharp looking. They are also a beast to refinish...IF...it is even possible to do at all. This is why many are turning back to more traditional Oil/Rosin finishes as they may require more upkeep but endure much better developing deep patinas that plastic finishes can not.

Post some photos if possible...


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## pakle (Mar 28, 2017)

Thanks for the quick reply. It's this nightstand here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UKE7ME/
I used the Deft Brushing lacquer here:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Deft-1-q...-Wood-Finish-Brushing-Lacquer-01704/100185839
To clarify, the lacquer is showing the scratches easily. The original top did not show scratches from the clock being moved around. I have 2 of these nightstands, and did the one coat of lacquer on one of them so I am comparing them. Even slight fingernail pressure now scratches the lacquer and the other nightstand is much more durable than that.

So if I sand & coat it again, I know any subsequent coats will "melt" the previous coat and build on top of it. Will it improve the scratchability? I'm not looking for completely scratch-proof, but I don't want to go through trouble of another coat if a fingernail is still going to scratch it. At this point, if I can get it back to the original durability, like the other nightstand, without using thinner (which I don't have), I'll be happy. Making it more durable would be a bonus.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hello P.

If you can find a spot on the Nightstand you haven't done anything to yet that can be sanded just a little bit, you will probably find that it actually already has a finish on it of some type...

I can't be 100% certain, but from the looks of the add on Amazon, I don't think that wood came in a..."raw wood condition"...It most likely had some type of plastic/polymer finish on it already. 

It is impossible to effective put one finish over the top of another without removing the former. In modern finishes this is even more of an issue and much more difficult to deal with. 

The second issue (to me particularly as a traditional woodworker) is that the Lacquer you selected is a modern version...it's a plastic...and plastic on plastic as mentioned above doesn't work.



> So if I sand & coat it again, I know any subsequent coats will "melt" the previous coat and build on top of it.


Only if those "coats" are of complementary formulations....and in your case I don't believe they are.



> Will it improve the scratchability?


Not in your case...most likely.

Sorry this wasn't of more help.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Not all lacquer is the same. Some lacquers are harder than others.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Not all lacquer is the same. Some lacquers are harder than others. I've never liked brush-on lacquers.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The brushing lacquer is a type known as nitrocellulose. It's not as hard as catalyzed lacquers. Also because it was as brushing lacquer they put a lot of retarder thinner in it in order to make it brushable. This makes it take a couple months to fully harden.


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

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pakle said:


> Hi, Newbie question: I applied one coat of Deft brush lacquer to a nightstand top (Ikea-like) so that it will be a little more durable. After one coat, it looks decent (not looking for perfect) but scratches very easily, much more easily than before the lacquer. Moving a clock will show a scratch. I know you're supposed to do at least 2-3 coats, but how will additional coats make it more scratch resistant? Perhaps lacquer is not the best finish for durability, but it's what I have right now, so trying to make it work. Thanks!


The IKEA top should have been pretty durable to begin with because Im pretty sure it has a UV topcoat on it.

Lacquer is not the best topcoat for what your looking to accomplish....a more durable finish.


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