Finishing Game Table

[Rob Keller]

I love designing & building furniture, but I hate the finishing process. I have found I am better at HVLP spraying that wiping/rubbing. SO, I am ready to complete my game table - maple and cherry. No stain. I was going to use arm-r-seal, but read most say "don't spray". I want a durable hard top coat. I hope to get all coats on over the 4th of July weekend.

What should I use?

Thanks for the help!

[Jordan Rago]

Hey Rob.

You should be able to spray the Arm-R-Seal if you thin it a bit with mineral spirits. According to General Finishes' website, you can add 10% mineral spirits to thin it out a bit. Just make sure your ratio is right, and run a test spray. Should work fine. You might need to lay it on heavy though. Build a strong finish with multiple layers. Good luck.

Source: https://generalfinishes.com/faq/can-...eal-be-thinned

[Rob Keller]

Hey Rob.

You should be able to spray the Arm-R-Seal if you thin it a bit with mineral spirits. According to General Finishes' website, you can add 10% mineral spirits to thin it out a bit. Just make sure your ratio is right, and run a test spray. Should work fine. You might need to lay it on heavy though. Build a strong finish with multiple layers. Good luck.

Source: https://generalfinishes.com/faq/can-...eal-be-thinned

Thanks Jordan, I read that also. I also saw that 8 to 24 hours between coats.... so with many coats it could take upto a week to get an adequate number of coats.

When you say "lay it on heavy", I also saw to put on very thin because if it runs it needs to immediately be caught or it will stain the wood.

I have the ARS already bought, so if it is doable that is great just want a great coat and not a lot of extra struggles.

Thanks so much.
Rob

[Bennett Ostroff]

Water-based topcoats do a lot better with spraying, and your dry times will be a lot shorter. Like GF High Performance. If you want to use the oil-based I would thin the ARS about 15% and buy a few foam brushes and brush it on. But don’t rush the coats. Both options will look good.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the recommendation to not spray oil based finishes isn't because they will not spray nicely...relative to the spraying. It's because of the very slow dry time between coats and the sticky mess from overspray. Water borne finishes dry more quickly so you can re-coat in 15-30 minutes, leaving the finish in the gun all day, and most overspray is merely a fine powder. There are water borne finishes available that provide the warmer color of an oil based finish, sometimes as an emulsified alkyd finish in a water carrier like Target Coatings EM2000 or similar and there are some that are just made "more warm" by the manufacturer. One can also spray a couple of quick, thin coats of de-waxed shellac for warmth before spraying the water borne clear of choice.

[Rob Keller]

Thanks everyone. I bought some GF high performance today, will be applying it on 7/4, if all goes as planned.

Truly appreciate the help!

Rob