Best Results
Thursday 23rd, February
How to achieve an ideal base coat
To achieve the best effect when applying a coat, the surface must be dry, clean and free of dust, grease, oil, wax and salt. Typical contaminants such as algae, mould growth, bird droppings, cobwebs etc.. must be completely removed.
Import tasks :
- Remove impurities using an approximate method eg. scraper or wooden brush
- Use scraper to remove hard parts (hardened areas); remove resin speck with cellulose thinners
- Sand with grit 60 - 80 sandpaper (coarse), 100 - 120 (medium), 180 - 200 (fine), steel wool (coarse and fine, non rusting) and a scouring pad (fine)
- Always remove sanding residue with a painters duster
- A sanding block makes sandpaper easier to control
Sanding as pre-treatment - why and when
Smoothing :
The surface becomes rough with sawing or painting and the grain becomes raised. This makes it difficult to apply an even coat and therefore reduces the protective properties on the coating. Leveling the wood grain by fine sanding produces a smooth surface.
Complete Planning :
E.g. on heavily weathered finishes. On such surfaces the wood must be planed back to its raw state to obtain a stable surface.
Please note : it is also important to fine sand surfaces between coats, for example when applying 2 - 3 coats of wood protection in order to improve adhesion between coats.
Tip : You can recognize heavily weathered finishes from a grey staining of the wood. The layer of wood protection has partly or completely disappeared and/or flaked off.
Give your wood the right touch
1. Coat new wood
- Clean surfaces
- Sand down with fine sandpaper (grit 180 - 220), wire wool or a scouring pad.
- Remove sanding residue with a duster
2. Restore weathered finishes
- Clean surfaces
- Smooth the old coat by sanding down with fine sandpaper (grit 180 - 220), wire wool or a scouring pad.
- Remove sanding residue with a duster
3. Change colour from dark to light
- Use coarse grain sandpaper (60 to 80) to sand or completely strip old, dark coats.
- Sand down with fine sandpaper (grit 180 - 220), wire wool or a scouring pad.
- Remove sanding residue with a duster
4. If impregnation is necessary
- Use medium fine sandpaper (100 - 120) to gently smooth down untreated softwood
- Sand existing old coats back to wood, using a coarse grain sandpaper (60 to 80) and then smooth gently with medium fine sandpaper (100-120).
- Remove sanding residue with a duster
Show your true colours
Wood Protection ?
Bondex stains are transparent coatings, to which insoluble pigments are added. They form a transparent film with a coloured tint, through which the underlying wood/grain is visible.
Bondex wood protection products are covering coatings - the entire colour film is pigmented, the underlying wood is no longer visible.
Since the effect of UV protection depends on the colour pigments, stains basically provide greater or more durable protection.
Apply the stain with a good quality brush and steady hand following the direction of the grain in a full flowing manner, making sure to follow the coverage rates on the tin.
If two coats required, allow the first coat to dry for the appropriate time before lightly re-sanding the surface and applying the second coat.
Please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to assist you for your individual needs