Nitrocellulose finishing process summary
This page contains a summary of my nitrocellulose tutorial series on YouTube. It is not as detailed as the video series, so I recommend watching those first if this is your first attempt at a nitro finish. You can find them here.
Step 1: Gather your supplies
The supplies listed below allow you to create a perfect nitrocellulose finish at home, without using any (expensive) specialist equipment. The process assumes all of the sanding and polishing is done by hand. For more guidance on which products you can use, check out this page.
- Grain filler
- Grain filler spreader leveler
- 1 Can nitrocellulose sanding sealer aerosol
- 1 Can nitrocellulose primer aerosol (not for natural/transparent finish)
- 1 Can nitrocellulose color aerosol (not for natural/transparent finish)
- 1 Can nitrocellulose clear gloss aerosol (or satin / matte, depending on desired look)
- Tack cloth
- Sandpaper in various grits (P400, P800, P1000, P1500, P2000 or 320, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 grit for US)
- Sanding block
- Mineral spirits (for cleaning)
- Polishing cloth
- Polishing compounds
- Spray mask
Step 2: Preparing the wood
- Sand the bare wood until smooth and free from any imperfections (dents, bumps, etc.). Use P400 / 320 grit sandpaper.
- Raise the grain with a damp cloth and let dry.
- Sand again using P400 / 320 grit sandpaper.
- Round over any sharp edges (for example around pickup cavities).
Step 3: Filling the wood grain (if necessary)
- This step is only necessary for open grained woods such as Mahogany, Ash and Rosewood. Alder, Basswood and Maple do not require grain filling.
- Using a grain filler and a spreader leveler, fill the wood grain. Let dry overnight.
- Sand using P400 / 320 grit until smooth. Inspect for any unfilled grain.
- Most surfaces will require 2 or 3 applications.
- Inspect the surface thoroughly. It should be perfectly flat and smooth before continuing to the next step.
- Sand using P800 / 400 grit sandpaper until smooth.
Step 4: Sanding sealer
- Clean / degrease the surface using mineral spirits and a cloth. When it’s dry, remove any dust or dirt using a tack cloth.
- Seal in the grain filler using a nitrocellulose sanding sealer. A total of 2-3 coats is sufficient. Wait a minimum of 20 minutes between coats. Let dry overnight.
- Inspect the surface thoroughly for unfilled grain and other imperfections. Correct imperfections if needed.
- If sanding to correct imperfections is needed, sand very lightly using P800 / 400 grit sandpaper. Clean the finish using mineral spirits and a cloth. Apply additional coats of sealer as needed.
- It is not necessary to sand in between the sanding sealer and color/clear coat if no imperfections are present.
Step 5: Applying the primer (if necessary)
- Skip this step if you’re going for a natural (transparent) finish. In this case you can apply the clear coats directly after the sanding sealer.
- Inspect the surfaces for imperfections again. It should be perfect at this point! Go back to step 3 or even step 2 if this is not the case.
- Clean / degrease the surface using mineral spirits and a cloth. When it’s dry, remove any dust or dirt using a tack cloth.
- Apply the primer coats. A total of 2-4 coats is sufficient. Wait a minimum of 20 minutes between coats. Apply a maximum of 3 coats each day.
- Sanding between two coats is not necessary, unless you have drips, runs, blushing or other major imperfections in your finish.
- If sanding is necessary, sand lightly using P1000 / 600 grit sandpaper. Wet sanding is recommended. Apply subsequent coats if necessary.
- Inspect the surface thoroughly for imperfections, dust particles and other contaminants.
Step 6: Applying the color coats (if necessary)
- Skip this step if you’re going for a natural (transparent) finish. In this case you can apply the clear coats directly after the sanding sealer.
- Clean / degrease the surface using mineral spirits and a cloth. When it’s dry, remove any dust or dirt using a tack cloth.
- Apply the color coats. A total of 2-4 coats is sufficient. Wait a minimum of 20 minutes between coats. Apply a maximum of 3 coats each day.
- Sanding between two coats of color is not necessary, unless you have drips, runs, blushing or other major imperfections in your finish.
- If sanding is necessary, sand lightly using P1000 / 600 grit sandpaper. Wet sanding is recommended. Apply subsequent coats if necessary.
- Inspect the surface thoroughly for imperfections, dust particles and other contaminants.
Step 7: Applying the clear coats
- Sanding between the color and clear coats is not necessary, unless you you have drips, runs, blushing or other major imperfections in your finish.
- Clean / degrease the surface using mineral spirits and a cloth. When it’s dry, remove any dust or dirt using a tack cloth.
- Apply 6 – 10 coats of clear lacquer. Wait at least 20 minutes between coats and apply a maximum of 3 coats each day.
- Inspect the surfaces thoroughly for imperfections or dust particles in the clear coat. Correct if needed.
- Let dry for at least 4 weeks.
Step 8: Sand and polish
- After allowing the finish to dry / harden for a minimum of 4 weeks (I like to leave it for 6 – 8 weeks), it’s time to sand and polish the finish.
- Wet sand the finish with P1500 / 800 grit sandpaper. The surface should have a uniform milky look. Shiny spots indicate low spots which need additional sanding.
- Wet sand the finish with P2000 / 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the P1500 scratch marks. The finish should already be very smooth and slightly glossy by now.
- Polish the finish using a polishing cloth and various compounds. Depending on the brand and type of polishing compound, start with a coarse or medium compound and work your way up to the fine or ultra fine compound.
- You are done! You should have a perfect glossy finish at this stage. If this is not the case, please rewatch the video tutorial series or contact me. Best of luck!