How to seal DIY projects

How to seal projects

8/12/2021

When you have put your heart into a home made project you want it to last! Whether it's a gift or yourself, we want to keep that masterpiece looking great for years to come.

There are a lot of products on the market to seal your work and it can be overwhelming. Let's break it down and figure out the best option for your needs.

First a few tips:
Oil and water don't mix. Yes you learned this as a child but it still holds true for DIY projects as well. If you use an oil base stain or paint do not try to layer on a water based product.
Water based products will keep whites white. This is important because there is nothing worse than your gorgeous white project that turns yellow very quickly due to the sealer!

Outdoor projects it's more about sealing the wood from damage. I like to use a water base Spar urethane. YES it is harder to find but water based does exist. Remember our tips above as to why water based is desired.

Spray sealers. I still vote for water based. The benefit of spray is you don't risk smearing your project by brushing across it. It happens- usually when you are on a deadline or used extra time being creative.
Personal choice on a brand -- just remember to get WATER based.

Glass & Mirrors. So far we have not had the need to seal glass or mirrors because we either want it to be temporary, used permanent products like heat set inks or etched it. However this product is on my list of products to try as it has been mentioned in many craft groups.

Here's the thing. I really don't seal a lot of projects anymore. Now that I do a lot with Chalkology pastes and inks I find I don't need to. Yes I've used ink on wood. The paste doesn't move unless it is wet AND rubbed or scrapped off, so for many projects they don't need that extra step.

I seal the wood if it's an outdoor project. In this case I am more worried about the wood damaging from Mother Nature's elements than the project on top! So seal that wood really well (I use water based spar urethane)

NOW go be creative and feel confident when you are ready to seal!