Phil Thien
10-30-2013, 11:18 PM
I can't spray right now because it is too cold outside and I don't have a good indoor (basement) spraying setup.
I wanted to finish some drawers with a water-based product, Varathane Diamond.
Finishing a bunch of drawers with a brush isn't my idea of a good time, so I decided to try something different.
I got one of the little trim/touch-up painting pads from the big box store, and I used that to apply the finish. This goes fast, just dipping the pad into the finish and applying goes awesomely fast. I pick a surface, apply the finish, then smooth it a bit, and then move to the next surface.
I use an acid brush (think glue brush) to smooth out the inside corners.
Then, instead of sanding to remove the raised grain, I use a utility knife blade as a scraper. This goes quite a bit faster than sanding, and is easier to get into the corners.
I stumbled upon the idea of using a paint pad by doing a little googling, where I learned that some people were told by finish manufacturers to use the pads to avoid brush marks with water-based finishes. Having applied water-based products with synthetic and foam brushes and getting brush marks, I can confirm the paint pad does drastically reduce/eliminate the problem. The pad allows you to apply a good amount of finish very quickly, so you can smooth the stuff out before it has a chance to start drying.
I stumbled upon the idea to use the razor blade because my sanding sponge wasn't doing a good job of removing the hair in the inside corners of the drawers so I grabbed a blade to try more or less out of desperation.
I still find finishing to be one of my biggest challenges. And the technique I've outlined above isn't going to result in a hand-rubbed heirloom appearance. But it looks almost as good as I achieve with spraying (although I'm not pro in that regard, either) and is pretty fast and indoor friendly.
I wanted to finish some drawers with a water-based product, Varathane Diamond.
Finishing a bunch of drawers with a brush isn't my idea of a good time, so I decided to try something different.
I got one of the little trim/touch-up painting pads from the big box store, and I used that to apply the finish. This goes fast, just dipping the pad into the finish and applying goes awesomely fast. I pick a surface, apply the finish, then smooth it a bit, and then move to the next surface.
I use an acid brush (think glue brush) to smooth out the inside corners.
Then, instead of sanding to remove the raised grain, I use a utility knife blade as a scraper. This goes quite a bit faster than sanding, and is easier to get into the corners.
I stumbled upon the idea of using a paint pad by doing a little googling, where I learned that some people were told by finish manufacturers to use the pads to avoid brush marks with water-based finishes. Having applied water-based products with synthetic and foam brushes and getting brush marks, I can confirm the paint pad does drastically reduce/eliminate the problem. The pad allows you to apply a good amount of finish very quickly, so you can smooth the stuff out before it has a chance to start drying.
I stumbled upon the idea to use the razor blade because my sanding sponge wasn't doing a good job of removing the hair in the inside corners of the drawers so I grabbed a blade to try more or less out of desperation.
I still find finishing to be one of my biggest challenges. And the technique I've outlined above isn't going to result in a hand-rubbed heirloom appearance. But it looks almost as good as I achieve with spraying (although I'm not pro in that regard, either) and is pretty fast and indoor friendly.