How Do You Achieve A Black Lacquer Finish?
Black lacquer is a beautiful, old-fashioned finish for furniture and other wooden objects that dates back centuries. We see it in Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean furniture and tableware, as well as “Japanned” European furniture from the 18th century onward. Genuine black lacquer comes from the excretions of the Asian lac beetle, and is time consuming and difficult to apply. It takes a master to get a mirror finish from genuine lacquer. A very similar black lacquer finish can be created using modern substitutes, and is much simpler to apply. Prepare the object. Remove all knobs, exposed hinges and other hardware. Make sure the object is clean and remove all previous finishes. Apply primer. Coat the wooden object in dark-colored primer. Use multiple thin coats, rather than one thick coat. Spray or brush-on primers will both work. Allow the primer to dry completely. Sand the primer. Use a fine grit sandpaper to smooth rough areas in the primer and provide tooth to glossy areas. S
