target coatings em2000

[Greg Cuetara]

I saw in another thread someone using target coatings em2000. I do not have a full spray set up but do have the critter http://www.amazon.com/Critter-Spray-Products-22032-Siphon/dp/B00006FRPJ
I am looking for a spray product that has the low VOC's so that I can spray inside in the winter time. Not sure if this is even a good idea, i do have windows in my basement that i open up but the smell etc. gets throughout the house using waterlox, the waterbased is much better than using waterlox etc. which requires lots and lots of ventilation.

Maybe the critter won't work or that product is not good for me. Just trying to figure out if there is anything out there that is safer to spray with limited ventilation in the winter time inside.

thanks.
Greg

[Jamie Buxton]

If you just have that little gun, you're not going to be doing big projects, so maybe your answer is that you can spray waterbornes like Target's stuff. They aren't completely odorless, but the odor is less than solvent-borne products. They also do contain some solvent -- just a lot less than solvent-borne products. (Solvent-borne ones like Waterlox may be more than 50% solvent. Waterbornes are something like 5% solvent.) Because of the solvent, I do provide good ventilation when I shoot waterbornes, but I'm typically shooting big cabinets so I may be spraying a couple of quarts of finish in one session.

[Jim Becker]

Do note that EM2000 has a little more "volatility" than the pure acrylics like EM6000, given it's a water borne emulsified "oil finish". You may want to consider the EM6000 for that reason for winter-time indoor spraying.

It will likely spray ok with your "Critter", but in my experience it needed adjustments to my gun over the settings I user for EM6000 and Shellac. You don't have very much adjustability with the "Critter" type device. Try it and worse case, you'll want to upgrade your gun.

[Greg Cuetara]

Jamie i will probably not be doing big projects but smaller projects for gifts etc. for christmas.

Jim thanks for the advice. That is exactly what I was looking for. Are there any other products out there that would work better and not have the voc's?

[John TenEyck]

IMO, if you spray you need ventilation. Atomized particles stay airborne a long, long time, and some of the stuff in WB products are not healthy. True, there's a lot less solvent than what comes off Waterlox, but it still isn't good. Anyone who wants to spray in a basement shop struggles with this issue. I took the low tech approach. I drape some plastic sheeting from the floor joists to create a temporary "booth", put old sheets on the floor, and have an old blower ducted from the booth and out a window. Ten minutes to put up, five to take down. Out of pocket cost was zero, and it works very well for the WB finishes I use. You could probably do something similar with minimal effort. Here's a link to some photos of my set up: http://picasaweb.google.com/JohnTenEyck54/SprayBooth?authuser=0&feat=directlink

[Matt Meiser]

I agree you need proper ventilation. Water borne chemicals might be better than solvent borne but they aren't food. 2000 is definitely more smelly than 6000. My daughters desk had a definite varnish odor for many weeks after I sprayed it. I had her leave it open for a while to clear it up.

[Jim Becker]

Matt, the odor from the EM 2000 is simply because it's an oil based finish that happens to use water as a carrier. It's going to off-gas, accordingly, although not as much as something that is a regular oil based finish. The Minwax water borne floor finish I used recently was exactly the same way...it off-gassed for a week or two.

I don't mean to minimize the value of "ventilation" when using an acrylic waterborne like EM6000--a respirator is still required and getting the particulates out of the air should also be considered as I mentioned in my previous post. However, the "fumes" are not much different, if at all, from water borne/based paints that are regularly and normally used in and around the home. But this is on a case by case basis and specific to a particular product. It's always wise to review the specifications for any finish before spraying and take care based on that.

[Harvey Pascoe]

I can testify from experience that water born finishes can be even more dangerous as they contain glycols which cause brain damage with fairly low exposures. I too, bought the myth that WB is less harmful and as a result was more cavalier in my use of them. The result was temporary blindness and loss of balance and a few other niceties. All I was doing was spraying outdoors with the wind at my back thinking I was safe. WRONG. It was three months before my eyesight returned to normal and my full sense of balance has never recovered. Do yourself a favor, regard all WB vapors as dangerous to your health.

[Jim Becker]

Harvey, were you wearing a respirator when you were spraying? Even with low/no VOC finishes, that is still required.