I would do it a little different.
1. Lightly sand the wood with 220 grit sandpaper. Any wood that has been handled has a certain amount of skin oils on it. Then if the plywood has been sprinkled with water it will cause the spots to
stain darker. It's always best to sand any wood before you finish it whether it appears to have been sanded or not.
2. Apply the wood conditioner and let dry according to label instructions. If you have some scrap wood, practice the finish on it first. With some conditioners you may need to thin it or use two coats.
It's best to find out if the wood will properly stain on scraps first. A wood conditioner is a sealer which can seal the wood so much that you can't stain it. Sometimes it seals so little the wood goes
blotchy anyway.
3. Apply the gel stain to the desired appearance and let dry without wiping off the excess unless wiping it off is the desired appearance.
4. 24 hour drying time would be good however depending on the product and the temperature a shorter drying time may be possible.
5. Apply a coat of lacquer sanding sealer and let dry 20 minutes. A lacquer sanding sealer will make a better foundation for a lacquer finish than shellac
6. Lightly sand the sealer with 220 grit paper and apply a second coat of lacquer sanding sealer.
7. If the sanding sealer appears to coat the wood and is smooth and level sand it with 220 grit paper and put two coats of lacquer on. If it isn't smooth and level repeat step 6,

 

Thank you so much for your response. I have a couple of follow up questions.

1. When you ask to try out on some scrap wood are you asking to try all the steps you outlined above on scrap wood or only selected steps?

2. Is sanding with an obital sander ok? What does light sanding mean?

3. Is laquer sanding sealer different than the laquer I have purchased for finishing?

 

When you do a sample piece if you don't do every step just like the project then it will have a different appearance and you won't gain any information from the test.

Yes, sanding with an orbital in most cases would be alright. Some plywood today there isn't enough veneer to sand with an electric sander. You would just have to make the call with the plywood you have.

Lacquer sanding sealer is similar to lacquer but they add zinc zinc stearates to the finish. This makes the lacquer a little softer and easier to sand than the lacquer. Think of it as a clear primer. You build the finish with the sealer sanding it between coats until you get everything good and smooth and then put the harder lacquer on.

 

Thank you. Can sample piece be any scrap plywood or does it have to be the same maple plywood that I purchased for this project?

 

As long as it's the same species of plywood that should be alright.

 

Ok. I paid higher for a maple plywood for this project. I have on the side some scrap plywood. They are not the same. So I assume I need to cut off a section from my maple plywood to try this.

 

Others have given really good finishing advice. Here's how I did these hall cabinets(below):
Closet Door Finish:

• Emtech water based shellac thinned 25% as blotch control 56Z19.10 from Lee Valley
• Water Based Aniline Dye – Honeytone Amber 56Z02.02
• Sealer coat of Varathane Gloss clear finish thinned 50-50
• 2 coats of Varathane Gloss clear finish undiluted – lightly sanded between coats.
• 1 coat of Varathane Semi-Gloss clear finish undiluted.
• Rubbed out with 600 grit paper and mineral spirits.

 

Can you please let me know if the following is ok for sanding sealer?

Zinsser 12 oz. Clear Shellac Spray 408 - The Home Depot

Find the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 12 oz. Clear Shellac Traditional Finish and Sealer 00408, lacquer nontoxic, all-natural finish comes in aerosol spray form for easy application as a protective sealer for household projects from The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

 

I am unable to find zinsser sealcoat near me for sanding sealer. Is there any other product? Never mind I found it.

 

I personally don't use "sanding sealer" but I believe any thinned dewaxed shellac acts as sanding sealer. More qualified finishers like Steve Neul can probably give you a better answer.
Brian

 

Ok. So I have done a couple of steps using a scrap piece of plywood of the same material. Photo below.

1. Sanded with 240 grit paper. I only have 120 followed by 240 and nothing in-between.

2. Mixed seal coat with denaturalized alcohol in a 50:50 mix and applied on plywood and wiped away.

3. Waited for 20 mts and lightly scuff sanded with scotch Brite

4. Applied the stain coat and wiped away

I am now going to wait 24 hours to come back and apply seal coat followed by laquer.

 

This is how it looks like after leaving stain overnight. I will finish it tonight. Since this is scrap piece I have an opportunity to perfect things before the real piece. Is there anything else I need to do to improve?

Also the larger shelf I am building will lay flat on top of a corner fireplace. The corner is triangular as shown in picture below. It has plywood on top. What is the best way to attach this shelf so that in future if I want to take it out, I can do so easily and replace?

 

What you have looks more like paint than stain. With that color you will have to use an acrylic finish. Many finishes yellow with age and will affect the color eventually. Shellac has a little yellowing. If the lacquer you use is the most common, it's a type known as nitrocellulose. The resin in nitro lacquer is derived from dissolving cotton in nitric acid. Because it's made from cotton it will yellow just like a cotton tee shirt. There is a type of lacquer known as cab acrylic lacquer sometimes called butyrate lacquer which is made from plastic resins and it will remain clear. If you can't get that you could use a water based polyurethane. If you can get the cab acrylic lacquer use a vinyl sealer for the sanding sealer.

 

Your process is ok, what you're doing is call glazing. You have to play around with how you wipe off the gel stain. I don't see a need for another coat of sealer over the gel stain.

I use a very similar process for my chip carvings. Let the gel stain cure for several days before top coating.

Another option would be tinted shellac.

 

Any recommendations on what I could change on the wiping?