Deft Interior Clear Wood Finish Semi-Gloss Spray, 12.25-Ounce Aerosol

I use lacquer for my wood boxes and other small items. In my woodshop, everything must come out as smooth as can be, no dust nibs or rough parts.I have used a lot of lacquer from other companies because, simply, it is cheaper. I continue to find that when I want a great finish, I just keep coming back to this. I pay the price because it is superior.Of particular note is the spray nozzle. I can't tell you what is different, except it provides a much better spray. It can be rotated to give a more horizontal or vertical spray, keeping the spray focuses on the piece with less overspray.I find that I am using it more as the children are moving to mid-century modern furniture. I like oil finishes a lot, yet they turn the wood, typically walnut, darker than what the kids want. The lacquer keeps the wood its natural color as is more highly desired for this genre of furniture.

When you work with small pieces at a time or have a small project, it is a real pain to clean out your sprayer several times a day. You also need a durable finish that dries quickly, so that you can put on several thin coats in an hour. This is when a sprayer can could help, provided that the finish levels well, and does not tend to drip.The main drawback here is the high cost per can. However, the time it saves makes up for it. You can save some money by using spray shellac for the first couple of coats, as it is functionally very similar and costs less. The advantage of lacquer is water and wear resistance. Normally you can use this lacquer over shellac without problems. However, note that if you have refinished something, it is possible that some kind of contamination (often from handling it) has been absorbed into the wood, in which case you will have a bubbling in the finish in that area, once you have lacquered it. (Keep sanding and use this finish only to repair that).Clean out the nozzle if you are not going to use it again in the next 10 minutes (see directions). The spray pattern is about the best of the cans. Semi-gloss is pretty much a standard finish. If you need glossy, you won't be using cans. This blends well for repairs.Overall, this is the best finish for small projects that I have used, and I have tried them all.

When I went to use this, it started out spraying nicely, but then started spewing out from under the spray cap, all over my hands, and what little did keep coming out of the nozzle was in big splotchy droplets, making my project look terrible.It looks like it would have been really gorgeous if the sprayer had worked properly.

I have been using this on a variety of different woods for crafts that I have made with my laser cutter/engraver (birch, hickory, walnut, etc.). I am very pleased with the results. It really brings out the natural color and grain in the wood. This will be my go to spray from now on.

Not that bright results...

This sprayed on very easily and gave a matted finish. I used it on an oak trim around my fireplace. Odor was minimal and it dried very quickly. Very pleased and after it dried, it was not.

Easy to use with excellent results. BUT use it in a very well ventilated area that is not in your house.

I've tried a lot of spray lacquers and finally stick with Deft. It is a hard finish and dried without sags if you spray multiple thin coats. And it seems to spray more finely and evenly than other lacquers, although the atomizer doesn't look special. The only way to get a better finish is to use an HVLP gun and compressor.