# How to get smooth black finish?



## billdogg (Jan 4, 2009)

I was requested to make a table topper for a poker table I built. She wants it a smooth black finish like I did on the pedestal. When I bought the pedestal, it already had a smooth finish on it, I just put black lacquer on it. My question is how do I achieve this finish with a piece of plywood? If I spray the lacquer on the ply, you will still see the grain. Should I coat it first with something to smooth it out? I attached pics of what I'm working on, and a previous topper I did. The previous one was just stained, so it was pretty easy. Thanks for any help.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

billdogg said:


> I was requested to make a table topper for a poker table I built. She wants it a smooth black finish like I did on the pedestal. When I bought the pedestal, it already had a smooth finish on it, I just put black lacquer on it. My question is how do I achieve this finish with a piece of plywood? If I spray the lacquer on the ply, you will still see the grain. Should I coat it first with something to smooth it out? I attached pics of what I'm working on, and a previous topper I did. The previous one was just stained, so it was pretty easy. Thanks for any help.


It would depend on the plywood. If it's Red Oak, which is very grainy, you'll need to use a grain filler, sealer, and many coats of lacquer, block sanded each coat. In order for the grain to not read through, the highs and lows of the grain have to be leveled out in the finish.












 









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## billdogg (Jan 4, 2009)

How about the sanded pine ply? It's quite a bit smoother than the oak ply.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

billdogg said:


> How about the sanded pine ply? It's quite a bit smoother than the oak ply.


Actually, you should do the schedule as suggested for Red Oak. I suggest that you tint the sealer with a dark color to see how well it's progressing.












 









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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

billdogg said:


> I was requested to make a table topper for a poker table I built. She wants it a smooth black finish like I did on the pedestal. When I bought the pedestal, it already had a smooth finish on it, I just put black lacquer on it. My question is how do I achieve this finish with a piece of plywood? If I spray the lacquer on the ply, you will still see the grain. Should I coat it first with something to smooth it out? I attached pics of what I'm working on, and a previous topper I did. The previous one was just stained, so it was pretty easy. Thanks for any help.


Self leveling epoxy you can tint or spray over. Level table pour it in center. Attached are photos of a table the customer couldn't find what she wanted for breakfast nook in kitchen. House was over a hundred years old with a lot of original woodwork. I was in her garage when I saw an original door to the house. I poured the epoxy filling up the panels up an over stile and rail's making a flat glass like top.you can look down through escutcheon and keyhole.nice conversation piece and very durable PS base is filled with concrete


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Formica?


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## viridium (Sep 15, 2013)

Can plywood be smooth lacquered? A furniture seller here is telling me that smooth lacquering on plywood cannot be guaranteed.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

What if you bought hardboard and painted it? It comes alot smooth than any plywood I've seen.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I've achieved some nice finishes on primed medium density overlay plywood. The overlay is completely devoid of any grain that could transmit through. The primer is usually pretty smooth anyway, but a sanding with 320 grit makes it ready for lacquer. After that, it's just a matter of sanding between coats and polishing the final coat to gloss.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You can achieve a smooth black finish with any plywood but if you use a closed grain plywood like birch it would be so much easier. The best way to get is smooth is to spray the finish but first smooth out the surface with primer sanding it between coats. Once you get the primer smooth enough it is just a matter of spraying it with the topcoat.


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Start with a high build primer. Sand it hard using 220, almost see through. Apply another coat of primer and sand that with 320. Look at it with a light at a very low angle to see how smooth it really is. If it's good then apply your topcoat. If not, more primer and more sanding. When you are doing your topcoats sand aggressively between coats to keep the flatness going.

Depending on what paints you are using will dictate how much time you have to wait between sanding. With the primer 4-8 hours is a good wait time for sanding unless you are using a lacquer based primer, then 1 to 2 hours should suffice. With the paint I would suggest an oil if you aren't using a lacquer. You might have to wait several days between coats before you can sand. I know I was using a SW Semi Gloss white and it needed 2 full days of dry time and it was during the hot summer.

If you are looking for a high gloss then you might want to give the last coat a month to completely cure then sand starting at about 800 and go to 2000 or so. Then you can buff it out using compound to achieve a high gloss.

Using maple for wood or plywood is a great start because of it's closed grain nature. MDF is also a good start, but not really that durable on the edges unless you do wood buildups. But then you'll have to deal with the joint line which can be difficult between two dissimilar materials.


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## sawlog (Aug 30, 2013)

birch plywood, very smooth


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Surprisingly, when you are trying for a dead flat finish Birch ply is not that smooth. You can do it, but it'll take more work than the maple (ply)


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

I would suggest MDF instead of plywood, if the weight isn't an issue. No edges to seal. 2 part automotive high build primer (need a spray gun and respirator) then your topcoat. I would use 2 part single stage urethane, but I'm a painter and have that stuff available.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Brink said:


> Formica?


Although this thread is an old one, and the OP has abandoned it, there is still some good information. Formica, can be an effective surface. The furrniture below was laminated with plastic laminate, lightly sanded, and sealed and lacquered. It was then wet sanded when a sufficient build was applied and then rubbed out to a high gloss.
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## viridium (Sep 15, 2013)

Can you bake paint on plywood?


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## AlexVonSock (Aug 30, 2013)

Viridium,

I work in a custom sign shop here in Oklahoma City, we hand make, carve, and build, custom sandblasted signs and some larger plywood signs. We always put a base coat if we are painting anything. Usually with our plywood signs (good one side for the most part) we use block out white, one to two coats, depending on how porous the wood is; lightly sand with a higher grit sand paper to get the burrs off, and then if we want a high gloss finish, we use lettering enamel. Usually roll it on and use a high quality brush to get the streaks out. Hope this helps!!

-Alex


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

viridium said:


> Can you bake paint on plywood?


You can heat the paint to accelerate the drying time but you can't really bake paint onto plywood. The baked on paint is usually a dry powder that is sprayed onto metal and static electricity holds the powder to the metal and then it is sent into an oven in excess of 300 degrees where the powder is melted onto the metal fusing it to the metal. If you were to heat plywood that much the veneer is likely to crack.


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