Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Lacquer is the finish of the professional shop — it's what most furniture manufacturers use because it sprays fast, dries in minutes, and builds a beautiful film quickly. If you have an HVLP or spray setup and a place with serious ventilation (ideally outside or a spray booth with explosion-proof fan), lacquer is hard to beat for quality results. Without proper spray equipment, don't bother — lacquer is designed to be sprayed, not brushed. The fumes are serious and explosive, which is the other major consideration.

Sand to 150–180 grit. Lacquer is unforgiving of surface defects — scratches show through. Fill open grain with grain filler if you want a glassy surface. Clean all dust with a tack cloth before spraying.

• Set up in a well-ventilated area — ideally outside or with cross-ventilation and an explosion-proof exhaust fan.
• Thin lacquer to the right viscosity for your spray gun (typically 10–20% with lacquer thinner).
• Apply light 'mist' coats to start — just enough to wet the surface, not build film.
• Let flash off 5–10 minutes between coats. Lacquer dries fast — don't rush this, but you don't need to wait long.
• Build 4–6 coats for a good film build.
• Sand between coats with 320–400 grit after the first 2 coats to establish a smooth base.
• Final coat: let cure 24–48 hours, then rub out with progressively finer grits and polishing compound if you want a gloss finish.

• Spraying too close or too heavy — runs and sags that are hard to fix.
• Inadequate ventilation — the fumes are both toxic and explosive.
• Spraying in cold weather — lacquer blushes (turns milky) when it traps moisture.
• Not using lacquer thinner for cleanup — water or mineral spirits won't work.