| Q: I am trying to paint over a cabinet which was previously stained. I sanded it down and applied a coat of black Painters Touch. It dried and looked fine but it was light, so I sanded some of it a little and then gave it a second coat. As soon as I started with the second coat, it started to crackle. I did not prime it because I was going to sand the edges after I got all the black on there, then coat with a clear to give it that distressed look. It seems I failed at my attempt.
A: Not really. Crackle is one of the most popular forms of distressed finish, and you may want to reconsider and go with that. If not, you’ll want to strip the finish with paint remover. Once you are down to the bare wood, sand and then seal it with a coat of primer and make sure it, and every other coat, is thoroughly dry before you put another coat on top. Crackle usually means the coat below was either too soft or not yet cured. If you want to sand through to wood rather than another color paint, use Zinsser SealCoat, which is a clear primer, as your first coat.
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