Paint Your World Flip'N Awesome
Wondering what CrystaLac products to use when furniture flipping? This page will give you all the information you need to know when applying CrystaLac products to Furniture. We will dive into the products that are recommended to use, and the techniques that will lead you to success!
CrystaLac provides products that are all water based, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. We will cover what topcoats, paints, gel-stains, and liquid mica metallics to use. CrystaLac's CraftNique DIY line allows you to create your own customizable Paints and Gel Stains! Your imagination is truly your only limit when using CrystaLac.
For additional information we do provide content on our social media platforms as well. This will provide you guides, pictures of artist projects, and upcoming giveaways and sales that CrystaLac may be doing at any given time! We are always available for any question or concerns you may have via social media or customer service.
5 Basic Principles for Success
Follow these 5 simple, but crucial, steps to successfully use CrystaLac products on your furniture piece.
Prep
PREP, PREP ,PREP, the MOST IMPORTANT step to finishing is PREP PREP PREP! Yet, it is often the step skipped the most. Old Furniture or wood: Clean well with CrystaLac Surface Conditioner. For extra greasy surfaces, use a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water. This helps to remove old oils, fingerprints, cleaners, and waxes. Once dry, grab around a 220 block sanding pad and give it a light scuff sand. Once finished, clean one more time with the same mixture and be sure to remove any sanding dust residue. New wood: To enhance the natural wood tones, seal with CrystaLac Amber Toned Sanding Sealer. For tannin blocking, use our clear sealer - It’s Knot Shellac. These help minimize grain raise to reduce sanding, seals in the tannins of the wood to prevent bleeding and yellowing, and creates a nice waterproof barrier For more info on these products click these links:
Application
Paint away using your favorite brush or sprayer. Make sure to use long, even strokes and apply paper thin coats. Allow 2-4 hours in dry time between coats. If tannin bleeding is showing on your piece, or you're using a lighter color, 3 coats are recommended. Allow 24 hours after your first coat before putting additional coats to ensure that the tannins do not reappear. Specifically on Cherry, Mahogany, and Oak pieces. Our Flip’N Awesome 3 in 1 paint includes Primer, Paint, and Topcoat all in one! This helps you to efficiently knock out steps in your process, also giving you top tier results. For higher traffic areas, We suggest our Extreme Protection Topcoat. This will give you a more durable surface to withstand spills and scratches.
Temperature
Makes sure your room temperature is between 68 and 75 degrees when applying paints and top coats. Your Product itself show be between 68 and 75 degrees as well. Make sure to store any CrystaLac Product in a temperature-controlled room.
Cure Time
To reach the maximum hardness, you want to allow at least 30 days for your CrystaLac product to completely cure. CrystaLac Specialty coatings will provide you with more than enough protection. Just make sure to gently handle your project for the first 30 days.
Paint Options
Flip’N Awesome 3 in 1 paint is an innovative paint, primer, and top-coat all in one bottle! This makes the process of prepping your project simpler. Of course, you still want to Clean and Scuff sand the surface of your project, but with the Flip’N Awesome 3 in 1 paint you can start applying your paint directly. Normally 2-3 coats will allow for full coverage on your project. We do recommend waiting 24 hours after applying your first coat. This will allow the priming agent to adhere to your piece well and make sure any tannins are thoroughly sealed. After applying your second coat we recommend waiting anywhere from 2 to 4 hours before applying your next coat. Your last coat will act as your topcoat layer to ensure that your project is sealed and protected. If your project will encounter higher traffic, we do recommend using Extreme Protection waterbased poly to give it an extra layer of protection.
Universal White is a very versatile product. Its great for priming your project before applying the paint of your choice. It acts as a stain and tannin blocker, so you don't have to worry about tannins bleeding through to the top of your project. We recommend 1 to 2 coats and allowing 2 to 4 hours in dry time between coats. When applying Universal White, make sure to do thin even coats. With Universal White also being a tintable base paint, you can use our 8 concentrated pigments to create your own unique color! The possibilities are only limited to your imagination with Universal White. It's a must have in your array of CrystaLac Products.
Gel Stains, Liquid Micas and Concentrated Pigments
Clear Gel Stain and Glaze
Use these for staining your pieces or for glazing. You can make your own color of stain by mixing CraftNique Color Boutique Concentrated Pigments right into the Clear Base or... You can buy the colors already mixed for you. These can be applied over bare wood or over a previous finish. Its perfect for fixing imperfections. More info on stains click here STAINS
*Mica Based Metallics
Color Boutique Liquid Mica Metallics are Highly Concentrated Mica Pigments incorporated into a liquid solution making them super easy to use without having to deal with airborne particles - unless you like them in your eyes, nose and skin ;} 5 super rich sparkly colors (Silver, Gold, Copper, Rose & Champagne) more choices coming soon! Add directly into The Extreme Protection or use straight for intense color similar to gold leafing. Works great on hardware. Use approximately 1 tsp per pint. Adjust more or less to attain the desired appearance and effect. Finish with Extreme Protection to protect.
*Color Boutique Concentrated Pigments
These are NOT Paints - They are colorants used to make paint! CraftNique Color Boutique is a unique coloring system made up of highly concentrated, nano sized pigment colors that can be easily mixed into any of the CrystaLac or CraftNique Bases to create your very own DIY Paint, Stains, Glazes, and Topcoats. We've put together 8 standard colors that can be used alone or inter-mixed together to make endless color combinations.
Top Coats
Extreme Protection Application (Best CrystaLac Topcoat for Furniture)
CrystaLac Extreme Protection Polyurethane is an interior NON-YELLOWING, Environmentally Safe Topcoat that has more than enough durability, Super Clear and Super Easy to Use. It is Scratch, Chemical, and Water Resistant. It Self-Levels, has Low Odor, Low V.O.C. and cleans up easily with water. Extreme Protection has a solids content of 55% making it one of the highest solid contents of any Polyurethane out there! For more info on Extreme Protection, Click this link EXTREME PROTECTION info
CrabCoat Exterior Marine Finish - for those exterior pieces that need extra UV protection. CrabCoat also moves and flexes with the wood during temperature changes.
CrystaLac Viscosity Reducer / Retarder is designed for thinning and extending the dry time of CrystaLac Coatings. Enhances spray atomization and improves flow out and leveling. Can be used in most waterbased coatings.
Add approximately 1 oz. per Pint by slowly stirring into CrystaLac Paints, Stains or Top Coats. Adding more than 1 oz per pint, will significantly slow the dry time and extra dry time will need to be given between coats. SHOP Viscosity Reducer/Retarder