How To: Sanding Sealer After Stain

Fill the pressure pot with sanding sealer. Open the fluid control valve on the back of the spray gun several turns.

Hold the gun about 8 inches from a piece of scrap wood standing up vertically and spray a short burst. Check for runs. If you have excessive runs, turn the fluid control valve clockwise one turn. Spray another test pattern and check again until you have a pattern that is about 4 inches wide and 12 inches in length without any runs.

Hold the gun about 8 inches from the wood to be sealed. Pull the trigger and begin spraying the wood. If you're spraying flat panels or doors, walk along, spraying to the end, then stop. Go back in the other direction, overlapping the first pattern by about an inch. If you're spraying furniture, continuously keep moving the gun as the furniture gets wet, trying not to overlap, to prevent runs. Wait 30 minutes for the sealer to dry.

Palm a piece of 180-grit sandpaper. Begin sanding the dry sealer. Scrub at it gently until the wood has a white, dusty covering. Use the sandpaper's edge to sand down inside tight places or grooves. When the wood is completely covered in white dust with no glassy sheen, it is ready to spray with finish coats of lacquer.