Entertainment Center Finish

[Bryan Cramer]

I have an entertianment center stained with an oil based stain. I would like to varnish it. I want it as professional as possible, yet easy to apply. Is lacquer a good finish? This piece is not getting high wear on the surface. Can I apply lacquer with an automotive style HVLP spray gun? If so, how much do you thin or do you thin it at all? I have regular brushing lacquer. There is a lot of surface area to cover so I wanted to spray. I have a good area with ventilation to spray in. Any tips would be appreciated.

If this won't work any other options?

Thanks in advance.

190685

[Quinn McCarthy]

Bryan

I have never used lacquer finish. I am sure it will spray just fine. I have done a few EC's in Fuhr products or targets line of finish. They both are compatible over oil base stain and the products I used have an amber tone to them that looked like oil based finish. Both of the finishes I used were KCMA rated and stand up to a lot of abuse. Both lines are a little spedy but worth the price. In the Fuhr line I used 365 and 350 and in the target line I used universal sealer and EM2000wvx. I know target has a lacquer product in their line but I am not sure about Fuhr. I am not sure how they rate on abrasion and chemical spill resistance. You can get that from the web sites.

Hope that helps.

Quinn

[Scott Holmes]

If this is your first time to spray and you don't know how to thin etc. THEN learn on something other than your entertainment center.

There are several varnishes that are easy to apply.

[John TenEyck]

If you don't plan on spraying often, you might consider buying rattle can lacquer. It'll cost you more, but the learning curve is pretty much zero and you can get a very nice finish.

[Bryan Cramer]

Yes this is my first time spraying, butI will practice on sample pieces. How do you apply the Fuhr products? I want it not too costly. I already have automotive spray guns and a semi-booth to spray in so I thought I might as well spray the entertainment center. I never had extremely good luck with brush on varnishes especially polyurethane. I have some rattle cans, but I only use them for small projects. Since I have spray guns and a booth what would you do? Spray or brush? Any other brand/type suggestions?

Thanks for your replies.

[Scott Holmes]

Spraying closed case work has a learning curve.

Spraying varnish will get overspray on everything within 5 ft of the spray job. Then hours later it will dry to a real mess.

Oh wait, you said a regular auto painting spray gun make that 10 FEET.

Thinning varnish 50/50 with mineral spirits and applying it as a wipe-on is almost fool-proof.

[John TenEyck]

If you have an HVLP gun with a 1.1 to 1.5 mm orifice you should be fine spraying waterbased finishes. I would stay away from solvent based unless your booth was specifically designed for them. And besides, waterbased products are easy to use and produce excellent results, IMO. I use mostly General Finishes products, most often their Hi Performance Poly or Enduro Varnish, because they give excellent results and are locally available. The only caution I have about spraying waterbased is to make sure your air is oil free. I have nothing special, just a cheap filter regulator and a second little screw on filter at the gun inlet, and have had no problems with oil getting past and causing fisheyes. Go practice on some test pieces. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to get your gun dialed in and learn how to lay down a nice finish, since you obviously already have some spray experience. I was a complete newbie to spraying a couple years ago, but was able to produce results that completely satisfy me and my customers without much effort. Once you try spraying, you'll forget where your brushes are for anything like that entertainment center. Oh yeah, leave the back off if you can, it'll be be a lot easier to get a uniform job. Give it a go - you won't regret it.

[Bryan Cramer]

Thanks for your help! So a water-base finish is the way to go if I spray. I considered a wipe-on varnish but I can never get it smooth even thought I thin it 50/50. Scott what kind of rag or how do you wipe on a varnish? I think it was the paper towels I used. Also how many coats of coats do you do? Scott also brought up a good point of getting a lot of over spray (my booth isn't that great and it is not set up right now). I think for this project I will wipe on the varnish because I am running short on time rather than setting the booth up, practicing the spraying technique and then spraying it. However I have a future project that I want to spray so your information is helping me plan ahead. Thanks guys!

[Scott Holmes]

Many people try to "brush on" a "wipe-on" with a rag.

Thinned 50/50 varnish should be "wiped-on" like the kid wipes the table at the fast food joint, just before you sit down. A table top should not take more than a minute or two and the surface should be damp; no puddles, no pools of finish. It should dry to the touch in less than an hour (except Waterlox which can take ~2hours)

I use an old tee shirt (1st choice) or a blue shop towel to wipe-on varnish.

[Bryan Cramer]

Thanks Scott! I am going to try that right now.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm a little late to the discussion, but there are several brush on lacquer finishes that will work well. Personally I like Deft Clear Wood Finish in a Semi- gloss. I use it on all my wood furniture. It can also be sprayed. with a little thinning. It will really bring out the highlights of the wood. I usually apply one coat and then lightly sand to take off the rougnness, then apply two more wet coats. I find it works best when applied heavy and wet on a horizontal surface. If it is too wet on a vertical surface it will run. The fumes are toxic so use it in a well ventilated area. Becasue it is solvent based you can also apply it when it is very cold outside. I finish my pieces in the winter in an unhated garage witht eh door open. In warm weather it dries to recoat in about an hour and in cold weather it takes overnight. In warm weather it dries to touch in less than 30 minutes. Because it will soften the previous coat you can go days between coats and still get good adherance.

Cabot's also makes a clear brushable lacquer that applies well.

[Bryan Cramer]

Lee, I have and use Cabot lacquer in both the brush on and the rattle can spray finishes. When I run low I will consider Deft Clear. Thanks!