[sompa]

I have cut my wood and was wondering if I need to sand before or after adding the water sealer? Also what kind of sealer should I use and what kind of paint should I use on the inside of the canopy? This is my first time doing a diy for my aquarium and don't want to mess it up toooooo bad.

Thanks for any and all the help you guys give to the newbies like me.

[Meric]

Originally Posted by sompa

I have cut my wood and was wondering if I need to sand before or after adding the water sealer? Also what kind of sealer should I use and what kind of paint should I use on the inside of the canopy? This is my first time doing a diy for my aquarium and don't want to mess it up toooooo bad.

Thanks for any and all the help you guys give to the newbies like me.

With a Water Based sealer you will need to sand after applying the sealer and allowing it plenty of time to dry. You will also need to apply a few coats of the sealer to get optimum protection and brillance.

I used oil based sealers myself. They are messier, but they do not raise the grain of wood like water based sealer do.

You will need to use finnisher sand paper, 300 - 600 grit. After applying your first coat and letting it dry, run you hand over the surface of the wood. You will notice that the wood grain feels uneven. Take your sandpaper and gently sand the entire surface going with the grain. Do not sand against the grain. After lightly sanding the entire surface wipe the surface clean with a damp rag, making sure you have removed all fine dust particle. Then apply a second coat of sealer. Repeat above for as many coats as of sealer you need to apply. After sanding the surface should feel smooth, but the sealer should still be visible.

Alos be sure that you sand by hand, most belt/power sanders apply to much power and end up removing the sealer along with the grain. And use sandpaper for wood only.

To paint the inside of the canopy, I used a waterproof, water based latex paint. Get the paint that says for use in Bathrooms

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by sompa

I have cut my wood and was wondering if I need to sand before or after adding the water sealer? Also what kind of sealer should I use and what kind of paint should I use on the inside of the canopy? This is my first time doing a diy for my aquarium and don't want to mess it up toooooo bad.

Thanks for any and all the help you guys give to the newbies like me.

Hi sompa, Welcome to RL!

What kind of sealer are you going to use? In any case, I think it would be nice if you sended prior to aplying a coat of sealer and you would probably need to send it after as well, before aplying second coat. You can use sending sealer first, that would raise the grain of the wood a bit when dried, send it then use some means to clean up the dust and aply your finish sealant.let it dry and give it a light sending with 150-200 grit paper and clean it again, aply your second coat. That should give you a smooth finish.
I would finish inside of the canopy first, lots of people use epoxy paints for this so I think it would be a nice choice. You need something that would stand up to the damp, salty environment.

Good luck!

[the mad reefer]

hi there! i would sand before you seal. when you sand make sure you only go back and forth with the grain of the wood. (you probably know this already but)
if you go against the grain or in circles you will see the sand marks on the wood. if you use a latex paint you may have to sand after also. as like stated earlier some latex can make wood raise up. i used the latex kilz with a coat of boat paint for the inside of my canopy. no regreats here!!