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After ten years, I still don't seal maple before finishing.
I've finished countless maple pieces over the years. I never apply a sealer before the topcoat. Maple's grain is so tight that the finish goes on evenly. For example, a recent table I did came out perfect without any sealer. Other finishers tell me I'm risking blotches, but I haven't seen one yet. I think the extra step just adds cost and time. So, I'll continue to omit it unless a client asks specifically.
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jake_wright497mo ago
Used to worry about blotching all the time on maple. Then I worked on this old dresser, figured I'd skip the sealer just to see what happened. The first coat of finish went on smooth and dried totally even, no blotches at all. That piece changed my whole routine, saved me a bunch of time on later projects. Now I only reach for a sealer if the wood looks really thirsty or weird.
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tyler_baker7mo ago
My old shop teacher in Ohio always said blotching was a law of nature. I see what you mean though, @scott.ryan, we get told a lot of rules that are really just extra steps.
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scott.ryan7mo ago
Seriously? I mean if it's working for you that's cool, but people talk about blotching like it's this huge disaster. Maybe it's not that big of a deal?
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