Question
Is there any way to keep a water based lacquer from raising the grain on pine? If not, what do you do about it? Do you just have to do a more aggressive job on the first coat sanding?
Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor F:
Dampen the wood with water (rag) first, let dry and sand. This will almost eliminate grain raise when the stain goes on.
I use a highly thinned varnish and spray and wipe it like a stain. Let it dry, sand very lightly to smooth, then topcoat. The first coat lays down beautifully; no grain raise. If you're trying to avoid the look of shellac or an oil-base finish, and just stick with water-base, then try spraying a few dust coats to seal the wood before you hit it with a wet coat. It takes longer, and isn't as effective, but there's a lot less grain raise than usual.